SB 436 .C4 Copy 1 CITY OF CHICAGO SPECIAL PARK COMMISSION THE MOVEMENT FOR TREE PLANTING IN THE STREETS OF THE CITY The City Ordinance Relating to the Planting, Preservation and Promotion of Trees and Shrub- bery in the Streets and Func- tions of the City Forester, mm Address Communications to J. H. PROST, City Forester, lOth Floor City Hall Telephones Main 447, Local 25 TllE TREE PLANTING AIOVE^fENT AND FUNC- TIONS OF THE CITY FORESTER. • The Street Tree Ordinance gives control of trees in the streets to the Special Park Commission, authorizes it to appoint a City Forester, who is to direct, assist and advise j)ersons wishing to plant trees, and to have general charge of the care of trees in the streets. Owing to the small appropriation placed at the disposal of the Forester by the City Council the work, for the present, must be confined to the supervision and direction of private effort, to the protection of existing trees by proper use of the permit issuing powers vested in the For- ester, to the trimming of trees in need of attention, to the removal of dead trees, either by city employes or b}- inter- ested citizens and improvement associations, to the encour- agement of city-wide tree planting and preservation by means of illustrated talks and distribution of pamphlets in- forming the public on the subject of trees — what, when and how to plant them, and to the collection of information regarding trees existing in the city. The commission believes that this branch of its work can be made very valuable in improving the appearance and increasing the attractiveness of the residence districts. To that end it asks the hearty co-operation of all public-spirited citizens. The commission will furnish expert advice at any time to citizens planning the planting street trees, or shrub- bery, and will be glad to receive information enabling it to prevent threatened violations of the ordinance, whether the violations relate to the carrying on of building operations without properly guarding the street trees, or the continued existence of gas leaks where trees are liable to be affected. If a neighborhood or street improvement association de- sires advice on a plan for street planting the Commission will arrange to have the City Forester, or some other rep- resentative of the commission, consult with those having the matter in charge, or if practicable, address any meeting of property owners. The Forester can be reached at the office of the com- mission, loth Floor. City Hall, ■ . • p. •t P. •••'IDEC 23 If 18 THE PLAXTIXG, PRESERVATION, CONTROL AND CULTURE OF TREES AND SH-RUBBERY IN THE PUBLIC STREETS. Followinij is the ordinance passed 1j\ tlie City Council March 22, 1909 : Be If ordained by the City Coinicil of flic City of C/nVa^i^o ; Section i. The Special Park Commission shall have full power and authority over all trees, plants and shrubs planted and to l>e planted in the streets and public highways of the City of Chicago, including the right to plant new trees and to care for the same, and to that end the said commission is authorized to a])point according to law a person to be known as City P"orester, who shall be a man skilled and learned in the science of forestry, and whose duty it shall be, under the control and direction of the Special Park Commission, to superintend, regulate, and encourage the preservation, cul- ture and planting of shade and ornamental trees, plants and shrubbery in the streets and public highways of the City of Chicago; to prune, spray, cultivate and otherwise maintain such trees, plants and shrubbery, and to direct the time and method of trimming the same ; to advise, without charge, owners and occupants of lots regarding the kind of trees, plants and shrubbery and the method of planting best adapt- ed to, or most desirable on particular streets,^ and to take such measures as ma\- be deemed necessary for the control and extermination of insects and other ]iests and plant iliseases which may injuriously afifect trees, plants or shrubs that are now growing or may be hereafter growing on the streets or public highways o£ the City of Chicago. He shall report to the Corporation Counsel of the City of Chi- cago all cases which may come to his knowledge of viola- tions of ordinances respecting such trees, plants and shrub- bery. Section 2. The Citv Forester shall, subject to such rules and regulations as the Special Park Commission may pre- scribe, keep a record of all transactions of his office and shall, whenever the Special Park Commission may require, make a full and detailed report of such transactions. Section 3. The word "trees" as used in this ordinance shall not be construed to include shrubs which do not grow higher than fifteen feet, and the word "person" whenever used in this ordinance shall be construed to include in- dividuals, firms and corporations. Section 4. The salary of the City Forester shall be at the rate of two thousand dollars ($2,000.00) per annum, payable in equal monthly installments, in full for his serv- ices. He shall give a bond in the sum of five thousand dollars ($5,000.00) for the faithful performance of his duties, with not less than two good and sufficient sureties owning" unencumbered real estate in the City of Chicago, or any responsible surety compan\-. which bond shall be ap- proved by the Mayor. Section 5. The owner or owners of every lot or parcel of land in the City of Chicago upon which any tree or trees are now or may hereafter be standing shall trim or cause to be trimmed the branches thereof so that the same shall not obstruct the passage of light from any gas 'lamp or other light located in any street, alley or public highwav in the City of Chicago to the adjacent street and sidewalk ; and such owner or owners shall trim all. branches of anv tree or trees now or hereafter growing on their premises which overhang any street, alley or public highway, so that there shall be a clear height of ten feet above the surface of the street, alley or highway unobstructed by branches, and such owner or owners shall remove from such tree or trees all dead, decayed or broken limbs or branches that overhang- such street, alley or highway, and when any of such trees are dead such owner or owners shall, remove the same so that they shall not fall in the street, alley or public high- way. Any person who shall fail to comply with any of the provisions of this section within fifteen days after notice from the City Forester of the particular thing to be done under this section shall be subject to ]:)ayment of the fine designated in Section 18 hereof. Section 6. No tree shall be planted in any street or public highway of the Citv of Chicago at a distance of less than twenty-five feet from any other trees standing in the same street, except by written permit of the Citv Forester, or at a distance of less than two feet from the established sidewalk line of said street. Section 7. No shade or ornamental tree, plant or shrub shall be planted in any of the streets or public highw^avs of the City of Chicago until the City Forester shall have first approved the kind and variety thereof and designated the location therefor and granted a permit for planting the same. Section 8. No person shall, without the written per- mission of the City Forester, remove, destroy, break, cut, deface, trim or in any way injure or interfere with any tree, plant or sliriib that is now or may hereafter be growing in any street or pubHc highway of the City of Chicago ; pro- vided, however, that nothing in this section shall be con- strued to apply to the removal, under the direction of the Board of Local Improvements, of any root, tree, shrub, or part thereof, wherever the same shall be found necessary in the construction of any 'sidewalk, sewer, pavement or other public improvement. Section 9. No i)erson shall hitch or fasten any horse or other animal to any tree or shrub, or to any device intended to protect any tree or shrub, now or hereafter growing in any street or public highway of the City of Chicago, "nor shall any person cause or permit any horse or other animal to stand or be near enough to any tree, plant or shrub to bite or rub against, or in an\- manner injure or deface the same ; nor shall any person place a post for the hitching of horses within five feet of any tree, plant or shrub no\v or hereafter growing in anv of the streets or public highways of the City of Chicago, nor shall any person attach or place any rope, wire, sign, poster, hand bill or other thing on any tree or shrub now or hereait'er growing in any street or public highway of the Cit}- of Chicago, or on any guard or protection of the same ; nor shall any person deposit or throw upon any street, alley or ])ublic highway, or into an\- gutter thereof, any sail or salt water, or deposit in sucli gutter an}- receptacle containing salt or salt water. Section 10, Xo person shall remove, injure or misuse any guard or device placed or intended to protect any tree, plant or shrub now or hereafter growing in anv street or public highway of the City of Chicago. Section it. No person, firm or corporation owning, maintaining or operating any gas pipes or mains laid be- neath the surface of any street, alley or public place in the City of Chicago shall permit any leak to occur in such pipes or mains within a radius of forty feet of any tree now or hereafter growing in any street or public place in said City, and in the event that a leak exists or occurs in any such pipe or main, it shall be the duty of the person, firm or corpora- tion owning or operating such defective pipe or main to re- pair the same immediately and stop such leak in a manner so as to prevent a recurrence of the same after receiving a notice in writing from the City Forester calling the atten- tion of such person, firm or corporation to the fact that such leak exists or has occurred and if such person, firm or cor- poration fails within five da}s after the receipt of such notice to stop such leak in a manner so as to prevent a recurrence thereof, such person, firm or corporation shall l>e subject to the payment of a fine of not less than five nor more than one hundred dollars, and a separate ofifense shall be re- garded as committed after each day during which such per- son, firm or corporation shall continue such -violation. Section 12. No person shall hereafter without the written permit of the City Forester, place or maintain upon the ground in any street or public highway in the City of Chicago, stone, cement or other material which shall im- pede the free passage of water and air to the roots of an\ tree now or hereafter growing in such street or public high- wa^ without leaving an open space of ground not less than two feet in width all around the trunk of such tree; and wherever there is no such open space about any existing tree in any street or public highway in the City of Chicago, the Cit}- Forester may make such open space or cause the same to be made; provided, however, that in making such open space the same shall not require the breaking or de- stroving of any part of an}- sidewalk or pavement already constructed ; -provided, further that nothing herein contained shall be construed as requiring the City of Chicago in the construction of sidewalks to leave any open space around the trunk of any tree where such tree is planted or grows within the lines now or hereafter established as sidewalk lines, but provided, further that in the event that any such tree grows within a distance of less than one foot from the inner or outer established sidewalk line, then, and in that event the said sidewalk ma}- be so constructed as to leave an open space of one foot in width arovmd the trunk of such tree. Section 13. In the erection, alteration or repair of any building or structure the owner or owners thereof shall place or cause to be placed such guards around all nearby trees in the street or ])ublic highway as shall efifectually prevent injury to them. Section 14. Xo person or corporation shall, without the written permit of the City Forester, attach any electric wire, insulator or any other device for holding electric wire to anv tree now or hereafter growing in any street or pub- lic highway in the City of Chicago. Section 15. Every person or corporation having any wire or wires charged with electricity shall whenever pr-ac- ticable securelv fasten the same so that such wire or wires shall not come in contact with any tree in anv street or public highway in the City of Chicago. Section i6. No person or corporation shall prevent, delay or interfere with the City Forester or his assistants in the planting, pruning, cultivating, spraying or removal of an\' tree, plant or shrub that is now or ma^• hereafter l)e growing in anv street or public highway of tlie City of Chi- cago, or in the removal of stone, cement or other material about the trunk of any tree that is now growing or may hereafter be growing in any street or public highwav of the City of Chicago. Sfxtion 17. Every permit granted by the City Forester shall specifically describe the work to be' done under it and shall expire at the end of not exceeding 60 days from its date. No charge shall be made for anv permit. ^ Section 18. Any person who' violates any of the pro visions of this ordinance shall be punished by a fine of not less than $5.00 nor more than $100.00 for each offense. Section 19. It shall l)e the duty of the City Forester to see that the provisions of this ordinance are obeyed and prosecutions for all violations of this ordinance shall be instituted by the City Forester and shall be prosecuted in the name of the City of Chicago. Section 20. Sections 1432 and 1433 of the Revised Municipal Code of Chicago of 1905 and all other ordinances and parts of ordinances inconsistent herewith are hereby repealed. Section 21. This ordinance shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage. By order of the Special Park Commission. « J. P. Dunne, A. W. Beilfuss, Ading Secretary. Chainnaii. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 000 925 721 4 CLOHESEY & CO., PRINTERS 102 N FIFTH AVE CHICAGO LIBRARY OF CONGRESS DDDm5S7aiH ^ Hollinger Corp. pH8.5