PARK AND CEMETERY. 
752 
trees. An advertisement of the inten- 
tion to plant is inserted for two weeks 
in the public newspapers, and all per- 
sons interested in the improvement are 
given an opportunity to be heard. After 
the work is done the commissioners 
meet and certify a list to the receiver 
of taxes on which are given the names 
of the owners in front of whose prop- 
erty trees were set out and the cost of 
the work. These assessments are en- 
tered by the receiver of taxes on the 
annual tax bill and are paid the same 
way as any other legal lien. The cost of 
pruning, spraying, removing dead trees 
and repairing old ones is provided for 
by a general appropriation. 
The laws of Massachusetts in regard 
to the planting and care of shade-trees 
in towns and cities are very progressive. 
The “Tree Warden Act” of 1899 pro- 
vided that every town must elect a tree 
warden, and defined the duties and 
powers of the office. This act did not 
apply to cities; but by the laws of 1910 
the “Tree Warden Act” was e.xtended 
in practically all its provisions, except 
that requiring the election of a tree 
warden, to the cities of the common- 
wealth as well. Thus the act of 1899 
and its amendments secure the regula- 
tion of the planting and care of shade- 
trees in practically every town and city. 
In the year 1904 the legislature of 
the state of Ohio granted the cities the 
power “to regulate the planting, trim- 
ming and preservation of shade-trees 
in streets, alleys, public grounds and 
places, and to provide for the planting, 
removal, trimming, and preservation of 
such trees and ornamental shrubbery.” 
In the city of Cleveland there has been 
an active tree department since 1907. 
The shade-tree laws of New Jersey 
and Pennsylvania have served as mod- 
els for cities to organize tree depart- 
ments when there was no state law giv- 
ing municipalities that power. Chicago 
and New Orleans may serve as exam- 
ples. In January, 1909, the writer was 
called to Chicago by the Chicago 
Woman’s Club, to help in its campaign 
for tree protection and the placing of 
its trees under municipal control. A 
public meeting was held in Fullerton 
Hall on January 31, when there was 
appointed the Chicago Tree Commit- 
tee. As a result of the labors of this 
committee the Chicago council passed 
an ordinance on March 22, 1909, plac- 
ing the streets trees under the control 
of the Special Park Commission of that 
city and created the office of city for- 
ester, which was filled in May, 1909. 
The experience of New Orleans was 
similar to that of Chicago. A meeting 
was called by the New Orleans Tree 
Society for February 4, 1909, at which 
meeting the writer was afforded an op- 
portunity to explain the New Jersey 
statute and its practical working. The 
result of the meeting was an announce- 
ment that the mayor would call a con- 
ference of the park officials and others 
interested in tree planting. The ef- 
forts of the New Orleans Tree Society 
bore satisfactory results. On May 5, 
1909, the city council of New Orleans 
passed an ordinance creating a park- 
ing commission that would have ex- 
clusive control of the planting and care 
of shade-trees. The sections of the 
ordinances of Chicago and New Or- 
leans creating the tree departments 
were drawn largely after the statutes 
of New Jersey and Pennsylvania. 
By an act of the year of 1902 the laws 
of the state of New York, the jurisdic- 
tion of the Park Boards of Greater 
New York was extended to the preser- 
vation and planting of trees on the 
streets of the several boroughs. This 
act, however, is not adequate in its pro- 
visions for the planting of new trees 
or the replacing of dying specimens and 
the only systematic work in the care 
of trees has been carried on in Brook- 
lyn for the past six years. 
On April 5, 1906, the city council of 
St. Louis passed an ordinance creating 
the office of city forester defining his 
duties, and regulating tree planting. 
The street trees in the city of Buf- 
falo were turned over to the care of 
the park department in March, 1908, 
through a special act of the legislature. 
Previous to that time the trees were 
under municipal control, but there was 
no active work done in their care and 
preservation. After the bill was signed 
by the governor and became a law the 
park board took no active steps until 
June 1, 1908, when the city forester was 
secured and active work begun. 
On August 12, 1909, there was passed 
by the Connecticut legislature an act 
creating a Bureau of Trees in the De- 
partment of Public Works in the city 
of New Haven, and providing for a 
superintendent of trees. 
Other cities having adequate provis- 
ions for the municipal control of street 
trees are Springfield, Mass. ; Hartford, 
Conn. ; Providence, R. I. ; Detroit, 
Mich. ; Colorado Springs, Colo. ; Den- 
ver, Colo., and Redlands, Cal. 
Contemporaneously with the estab- 
lishing of tree departments has been 
the founding of organizations for the 
promotion of the tree planting move- 
ment, notably ; The American Associa- 
tion for the Planting and Preservation 
of City Trees and the Shade Tree Fed- 
eration of New Jersey. 
While the progress of the municipal 
control of shade-trees during the past 
few years has been marked, it is but a 
beginning. Shade tree legislation needs 
to be made broader so as to embrace 
the planting and maintenance of trees 
on county, state and other public roads 
and highways. In order that we may 
realize the full benefit of trees, the 
planting must not stop at the city’s 
gates. The systematic planting of 
trees on country roads is noted by the 
traveler in Europe, especially in France, 
Holland and Germany. The builders of 
a road should consider its decorative 
as well as its engineering features. 
If we are to have trees in our cities 
there must be a place where to set 
them. The provision for the street tree 
has been a matter with which the city 
engineer has concerned himself very 
little. On residential streets there 
should be a continuous parking strip 
provided, at least four feet in width, 
along which trees may be planted. If 
the width of the street permits it, these 
strips may be made up to ten feet or 
more, but a width of four feet is about 
the minimum space along which trees 
can be planted. . Frequently no planting 
strip is provided at all, or it is made 
so narrow that it is impossible to set 
out trees. On business streets having 
sidewalks entirely paved, trees can be 
planted and maintained if sufficiently 
large excavations are made for the 
trees, good soil supplied and grills 
placed around their bases to prevent 
the soil being tramped on. 
The town planner must provide for 
the street tree and so co-ordinate the 
other street fixtures that the tree’s place 
will not be usurped. In many cities of 
Pennsylvania, for example, telephone 
and electric light poles are placed on 
the sidewalk next to the curb where 
trees ought to go and the trees are 
forced into the space between the side- 
walk and the houses. From the road- 
way of such a street only the poles can 
be seen. 
More trained men are needed as 
municipal arboriculturists. It is a new 
calling of great dignity and importance; 
for the tree warden or city forester is 
the guardian of one of the chief re- 
sources for maintaining the beauty and 
health of a city. His task is a greater 
one than simply the propagation of trees 
according to scientific principles. He 
must be an enthusiast in his work and 
inspire among the people of a com- 
munity the proper appreciation of the 
value of trees. The people will then 
in turn help him in the administration 
of his office ; for his success will large- 
ly depend upon the interest of the peo- 
ple of his town or city in their trees 
and the support which they give him. 
The writer cannot conclude without a 
plea for the better understanding and 
the support of the young men who have 
entered this new field of public service. 
