City hopes residents will ask questions before cutting trees

Canda Harbaugh, The Western News

When a Libby resident cut down the large fir trees lining the street in his yard last week, he didn’t know he was committing a misdemeanor crime.

“We talked to the property owner, and he thought he had permission. We want to get that confusion out of people’s minds,” Libby mayor Doug Roll said. “It is a misdemeanor. … Right now, we’re just writing the guy a warning.”

Although it was passed 15 years ago, Libby’s tree ordinance is unknown to many. The ordinance prohibits causing damage or otherwise disturbing public trees without city permission.

The city has control over all trees growing within the city limits that are outside of the property lines of respective lots. This includes trees on neighborhood boulevards that may or may not have sidewalks to physically separate them from private property.

Roll explained that the proper way for Libby residents to take care of trees on the city right-of-way is to “contact the city, get a hold of the tree board and check out if trees are deceased.” 

The tree board, appointed by the mayor and approved by the city council, regulates the planting, maintenance and removal of public trees. In general, only dead trees are removed.

Finding out which trees are off-limits is a matter of doing one’s homework.

“Each one of our streets is different. It just depends on the section of town,” said Dan Thede, supervisor of city services. “People can go to the courthouse and look up their property in the city’s codebook.”

As for the logs from the unknowing resident’s yard? Thede said they would be sold with the money going to the tree board for maintaining public trees and purchasing new ones.