If you ask Chuck Staton, chairman of the town's tree commission, what's so important about trees — he'll tell you lots of reasons. But aside from their crucial roles as carbon dioxide scrubbers, stormwater sponges, and habitat for local wildlife, he says they provide much more value than that.

“There’s a cultural significance of a tree-lined street versus a barren street,” he said. “It raises property values, and it helps towards peoples’ attitudes and wellbeing. There’s a study that found that, if an urban street has more trees, people walk slower through the area and actually spend more money, because they want to hang around and be there longer.”

And even beyond these factors, some trees have another element — an 'it' factor that makes them significant. Now, thanks to a new town program, those special trees may be eligible for indefinite protection from the chainsaw.

The tree commission has launched a “Significant Tree” program, which seeks to find residents throughout town that have trees of either spectacular size or historically significant value. If the commission inspects them and finds that they pose no risk to property or persons, they will be logged into a database and protected for their lifetime — even if the homeowner changes.

“It’ll be registered on the deed of the house,” Staton explained. He added that the protection is only lifted if the tree becomes a liability down the line. “If the tree becomes a hazardous tree, it’ll be removed.”

Any tree that is 30 inches in diameter (from one side of the trunk to another), or 92 inches in circumference (measured around the whole trunk of the tree) meets the requirements for protection. Please note that both those measurements need to be taken at least 54 inches above where the trunk meets the ground.

Two trees have already been submitted for protection. The first belongs to Brandt Heckert and Eileen Collins — a massive 72-inch diameter Cut Leaf Beech that sprawls throughout their State Street property. It measures 17 feet (204 inches) in circumference.

Tree number two belongs to Judy Ferrara — a regal red oak tree that also measures 17 feet around its trunk.

If a tree doesn’t meet the size criteria, it may still be eligible for protection.

“We’re also looking for historically and culturally important trees that may have come here by an interesting story, like a sea captain that came back from Japan,” Staton said, referencing a Japanese Pagoda Tree that resides at 875 Main St. “That tree is now an important part of the canopy in Warren…We’re looking for more of those stories.”

Let the town know about your tree
Staton said that anyone who thinks they may have a significant tree on their property should reach out to the Department of Public Works at 401-245-0200, who will then be able to send a representative from the tree commission out to inspect the tree. They can also send an email to treecommission@townofwarren-ri.gov.

“It’s a service to the townsfolk as well as saving the trees,” Staton said. “A lot of times people might cut down a tree because they’re worried it’s a hazard because it’s so big and it might fall and cause damage, but maybe they don’t need to cut it down. Maybe they can just do some pruning, or maybe they don’t need to touch it at all. We can determine if it’s a hazard or not.”

You can find the application form to submit a significant tree to the commission by clicking here.