WOODLOTS AND HIGHWAY TREES. 



In our country towns one of the most difficult questions arises 

 from the cutting of woodlots having frontage on a public way. Often 

 it is desirable that a fringe of trees or at least a row of selected shade 

 trees within the highway be preserved, while the lot owner in too 

 many cases wishes to cut them, and often does make a clean sweep 

 to the roadway, in defiance of law. After the cutting is done, the 

 only remedy is by a prosecution or an action at law. If the warden 

 knows what is going on he can prohibit the cutting of any trees 

 within the highway lines, and should enforce his prohibition. In 

 either case his first step must be to determine the location of the 

 highway lines, and this is the most difficult part of the case. It is 

 most important that every town in Massachusetts should have its 

 public ways surveyed and their lines determined. At present these 

 are very vague, depending upon ancient layouts which perhaps were 

 never accurately surveyed. 



SHADE TREES ON STATE HIGHWAYS. 



State highways form an exception to the jurisdiction of the tree 

 warden, as heretofore stated. The exclusive care and control of all 

 trees, shrubs and growths within the limits of state highways is given 

 to the state highway commission, which has authority over all plant- 

 ing, trimming, cutting or removal on such highways.' The pro- 

 visions in regard to defacement, injury or disfigurement are to be 

 enforced by the tree warden, however, but should he fail to act in 

 the case of a state highway within thirty days after the receipt of a 

 complaint in writing from the Massachusetts highway commission, 

 the commission may proceed through its own agents to enforce these 

 provisions also.^ 



SHADE TREES IN CITIES.^ 



The law relating to city shade trees differs somewhat from that in 

 towns. There is no tree officer specifically required by law. The 

 mayor and aldermen, street commissioner and park commissioners 



' Acts of 1905, cli. 279, amended by Acts of 190S, ch. 297. 



^ R. L. ch. 20S, s. 104, amended by Acts of igoi, ch. 279, s. 2. 



3 R. L. ch. 53, s. 6 (amended by Acts of 190S, ch. 296;, and s. 7, S, 9, 10, 11, 



