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Highway Department /  Tree Policy

Tree Policy

The Town of Amherst Parks Department, which is a part of the Amherst Highway Department maintains all of the Town owned trees located on the Town of Amherst Right of Ways (R.O.W.), in Town Parks and Recreational areas and on Town owned properties. The Forestry Division within the Parks Department is responsible for removing diseased or dead trees, trimming Town trees and ordering the planting of new trees to replace what was removed.

Residents are prohibited from removing any Town owned trees. If a resident has a problem with a Town tree they should contact the Highway Department. Prior to removing any Town owned tree on the R.O.W. Highway or Parks personnel will try to contact the property owner during the business hours of 7:00 AM – 3:30 PM weekdays.

Town trees that are not dying or dead will not be removed because of sidewalk intrusion. It is the property owner’s responsibility to maintain their sidewalks as described in the Town Code.

The Highway Department will grind Town tree roots in the Town’s right of way under the following conditions:

  • The property owner must give Highway at least 2 days’ notice to request a root removal.
  • The property owner must remove any obstacles that cover or could prevent our equipment from removing the roots. This could be sidewalk slabs or driveway surfaces.
  • The property owner will be responsible to remove all of the grinding material, this will not be done by the Town. 
  • The Highway will only remove roots in the Town’s right of way, not a private property.

Tree Inventory

The Town will complete a comprehensive street tree inventory that includes trees and planting spaces on town right of ways and property. The Highway Department is currently updating the database as they progress with day to day tree/forestry work. The database has existing tree locations and potential tree locations geographically located. County and State roads will not be part of this project. Please click on the link below to review the first phase of the Town road Right-of-Way completed by Davey Resource Group, LLC.

amherstny.treekeepersoftware.com


Community Tree Management Plan

About Amherst

The Town of Amherst was established in 1818 and celebrated its 200th Anniversary in 2018. The town has a geographical area of 53.6 square miles and a population of greater than 122,000.

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The Town of Amherst ADA Coordinators are Robert McCarthy (Director of Human Resources) and Mark Berke (Commissioner of Buildings).

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  • General Information:
    (716) 631-7000
  • Email:
    toainfo@amherst.ny.us
  • Address:
    Municipal Building (Town Hall)
  • 5583 Main Street
  • Williamsville, NY 14221