$120,000 set aside for tree-cutting.

• Jurisdiction: United States
• Date: 14 October 2010

Byline: Nick Kotsopoulos

WORCESTER - The City Council has appropriated $120,000 to address the backlog of city trees that need to either be taken down or trimmed because they have been deemed hazardous.

According to city officials, 99 trees need to be removed, 94 need trimming and 79 tree stumps need to be removed.

Robert L. Moylan Jr., commissioner of public works and parks, said the estimated cost to remove each tree is about $1,200.

In addition to the existing backlog, the commissioner said the Forestry Division has 213 requests for additional tree inspections.

"Forestry (Division) simply does not have the resources to respond to this backlog, along with new requests, in a timely fashion," Mr. Moylan told the City Council Tuesday night.

With the...