Tree Removal in Ridgefield, NJ

Tree removal in Ridgefield can be tied to a building plan. Compared with its neighbors on the Palisades, the borough has more room: 2.54 square miles of land and roughly 4,523 residents to the square mile as of 2020, against nearly 16,000 in nearby Fort Lee. Where a lot has space to build on, whether that means a new wing, a detached garage or a wider driveway, a tree may be standing where the new work would go.

Ridgefield's tree law is written with that in mind. Part 12 of the zoning chapter, Tree Preservation and Removal (Chapter 390, adopted 1999), applies to new building construction, subdivisions and individual lots. We read it before every Ridgefield quote so the work plan fits what the borough expects.

The two-tree trigger

Section 390-234 regulates living trees that stand 25 feet or more, or whose trunks reach eight inches in diameter. Section 390-236B lists removing more than two trees of eight inches or greater among the actions that need a permit. Dead or diseased trees, and trees that endanger public safety or threaten damage to private property, appear among the permitted removals in § 390-236A, as do removals necessary for a structure that has a building permit (§ 390-236A(4)). The Construction Code Official is named as the enforcing officer. Confirm the current rules with the borough before cutting; we describe the code, we do not interpret it for your lot.

When construction is involved

If removal is part of a subdivision or site plan application before a board, § 390-238 sends the removal request through the Planning Board or Board of Adjustment, listing species, size and diameter of each tree. The Environmental Commission has 31 days to review and comment. Replacement can be steep for large trees: § 390-240 allows the board to require from at least three new trees for a small removed tree up to 14 for one over 36 inches, or $250 per replacement into the Ridgefield Shade Tree Fund. Factor that in early when planning an addition.

Protecting the trees you keep

The code also treats damage near a tree as regulated work. Excavating within two feet of a tree, or piling soil more than six inches deep against its base, are listed among actions that need a permit. On a building job we can:

• Mark which trees stay and which come out before the excavator arrives
• Prune limbs that would be struck by equipment or the new roofline
• Remove only what the approved plan calls for, then grind the stumps

The aim is a clear work site with the roots and trunks of the remaining trees protected.

Sidewalks and shrubs

Part 12 asks owners to keep branches at least eight feet above sidewalks and to keep shrubs from blocking the right-of-way. A light clearance prune handles this, and we can do it on the same visit as a larger job.

Storm damage and dead trees

A dead tree near a house is a removal worth scheduling soon, and a tree on a roof after a storm is an emergency call. Reach us at (201) 957-7596. If wires are down, call PSE&G first.