SHADE TREES AND THE LAW 
241 
town must elect a Tree Warden, and defining the duties 
and powers of the office thus created. In 1907, Pennsyl¬ 
vania enacted a shade tree law to a large extent modelled 
on the New Jersey law and its amendments. These three 
states were the pioneers. The successful operation of their 
laws attracted the attention of people elsewhere, and 
numerous states now have laws governing the planting and 
care of shade trees. It is a tribute to the foresight and in¬ 
telligence with which New Jersey, Massachusetts and Penn¬ 
sylvania handled the subject that the laws of these three 
states are still considered the models for such legislation. 
The close kinship of the laws of New Jersey and Penn¬ 
sylvania make it possible to summarize them as one. 
Under the provisions of these measures, the governing 
body of any city, town, township, borough or other munic¬ 
ipality may vote to accept the provisions of the law for 
application locally; a shade tree commission is then estab¬ 
lished and to this commission all matters pertaining to 
shade tree planting and care are entrusted. Nothing can 
be done without the approval and authority of the com¬ 
mission. The law covers planting, pruning, spraying and 
removal, thus giving the local government the complete 
control so necessary to satisfactory development of a shade 
tree system. 
Additional power of much importance is given through 
the provision that the shade tree authorities need not 
wait until property owners decide that their particular 
street should have shade trees. The commission may 
proceed on its own initiative. After determining that a 
street needs trees, it gives public notice of intention to 
plant. All persons interested are then given a hearing on 
the subject, and after this, the work proceeds along lines 
followed in other public improvements. The commission 
determines the species to be used and the exact location of 
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