Break Out the Plant Shears

Chatham Borough prides itself on landscaping and maintaining a green town. The municipality has has a Shade Tree Commission for over 100 years and have been designated a Tree City USA for 10 years.

When, however, plants are left to grow without maintenance, they pose a potential danger. A recent statement on the Chatham Borough website said that "shrubs and trees that remain untrimmed or are infrequently trimmed pose a safety hazard, and safety is a health issue.

The borough asks that residents look out for the safety of drivers and pedestrians in town by keeping trees and shrubs near sidewalks and roadways neatly trimmed.

"Motorists face the possibility of having significant accidents because they can't see around and/or over shrubs that, in general, are overgrown," the statement reads, and "Untrimmed growth that overhangs the sidewalk can cause injury to pedestrians, parents wheeling strollers, joggers, etc."

According to borough ordinances, property owners and tenants are responsible for keeing "all brush, hedges or other plant life" within 10 feet of any street or 25 feet of an intersection trimmed to no more than 2.5 feet (§244-14.)

The statement on the borough's website also warns against overhanging tree limbs, which "can cause damage to the eyes and face if they come into contact with pedestrians."