RESCHEDULED TO AUG. 4, 2026 (Click here for information)
A Public Shade Tree Hearing will be held about the proposed removal of four trees on public property on Channing Road, Elmwood Avenue, Fairview Avenue, and Webster Street. See more information from the Watertown Tree Warden, below.
Public Shade Trees are protected by Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 87. The removal of a healthy public tree requires an advertised public hearing. If a tree is declared by a Tree Warden to be an immediate hazard to the public, a hearing is not required.
Pursuant to Chapter 2 of the Acts of 2025, the meeting and public hearing will be conducted with remote opportunities for participation
ACCESS INFORMATION:
This meeting will be held on Thursday, July 23, 2026, at 5:30 p.m.
Location: Watertown Department of Public Works, DPW Conference Room, 124 Orchard St. and Online.
Please Visit the Forestry Website here: https://www.watertown-ma.gov/876/Forestry
Pursuant to Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 87, Sections 3 and 4, a public hearing will be held to consider the removal of the following public trees:
The following trees have been requested for removal.
ID # / Species / Diameter / Location
WT-2385-INV / Norway Maple / 26” DBH / 111 Channing Road
WT-1951-INV / Lacebark / Elm / 12” DBH / 10 Elmwood Ave.
WT-2292-INV / Kwanzan Cherry / 5” DBH / 4-6 Fairview Ave.
WT-225-INV / Japanese Pagoda / 26” DBH / 98 Webster St.
The tree(s) identified above have been posted for public inspection. Any objections to their removal must be submitted in writing to the Tree Warden, prior to or during the hearing.
See the meeting agenda here https://watertownma.portal.civicclerk.com/event/9566/files/agenda/15470
The mailing address for the Tree Warden is:
Department of Public Works
Tree Warden
124 Orchard St.
Phone: 617-972-6420
Participation Information:
The public may join the in-person meeting online: https://watertown-ma.zoom.us/j/84919917465
The public may join the meeting audio only by phone: 312-626-6799 or 646-558-8656 and enter Webinar ID: 849 1991 7465
Public may comment through email: mmiceli@watertown-ma.gov
WATERTOWN RESIDENTS PLEASE NOTE:
The tree hearing requirements in Chapter 87, Section 3 were written to insure that residents of a municipality can learn in a timely fashion when a request has been made to remove a public shade tree, and to insure that residents may comment or object if they wish. You can read that legal language here: https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXIV/Chapter87/Section3
But the contact email address on this public shade tree removal hearing notice is incorrect. The correct contact address is mmicieli@watertown-ma.gov.
This contact information is also incorrect on notices posted on public shade trees, on the meeting agenda notice, and on the notice distributed by the City to other media.
This typo in our opinion violates the legal intent of MGL Chapter 87, since anyone responding to the notice by email would not be heard.
In our opinion late posting of the notice in the Watertown News further violates requirements in MGL Chapter 87. Notice is to be posted in a public newspaper once in each of the two weeks preceding a public shade tree removal hearing. The online Watertown News is effectively Watertown’s local newspaper. This notice wasn’t posted in the Watertown News until Friday July 17.
We hope our City Manager will respond appropriately to these concerns.
Sincerely,
Trees for Watertown
Kudos to you, Libby! No matter what side you stand on about a tree or trees, the absolute minimum should be correct notification by the City!
Good work on your close reading of the statute, Libby.
Update from Trees for Watertown:
The City is rescheduling this public shade tree removal hearing due to incorrect contact info in the original notice.
Thank you to City Manager Proakis and our DPW for this rescheduling, and for making sure tree hearing notices going forward will be posted where residents can easily find them!
PLEASE NOTE: If you submitted a comment or objection for the original July 23 tree hearing, Tree Warden Mike Micieli asks that you RESUBMIT your message for the rescheduled hearing.
Submissions must observe these legal formalities:
1. Comments must be submitted in writing (either letter or email is OK).
Address emails to mmicieli@watertown-ma.gov.
2. To be considered, submissions must state the date of the tree hearing they reference and must be received before the end of that tree hearing.
3. Objection to a tree’s removal must name the specific tree and state explicitly that its removal is objected to.
Well-established public shade trees bring their neighborhoods so much benefit and beauty. Thank you to everyone helping to protect our existing street trees!