Fallen Trees: Your Problem or the Village's?

If you're one of the very unlucky homeowners to witness trees dropping onto the roadway, you may be wondering – is this my responsibility or the village's?

According to Mayor Keith Killion, per village law and policy, "If a tree that belongs to the residents is blocking the roadway, the village will open the roadway but will not remove the fallen tree." The mayor said homeowners are expected to keep it by the curb and are responsible for the disposal of the tree.

"Should the tree be the domain of the village, workers remove everything, stump and all," he added. Village trees are planted in sidewalks or at right-of-ways.

There are estimated to be hundreds of trees down or on power lines, according to officials. No definitive timetable has been set to clear them all. An outside tree company has been brought in to help

The village spent well over a week clearing fallen trees after Hurricane Irene, and this job is likely to be more taxing given the sheer volume of incidents.