Frequently Asked Questions

What is the definition of a street tree?

Any tree that has been planted in the public right-of-way is a street tree.

What is the public right-of-way?

The public right-of-way's width varies from street to street, but it is generally defined as the area from the street side curb inward to a distance of approximately fifteen feet.  This area is used for sidewalks, utility lines, and street trees. If you have any further questions regarding the public right-of-way and street trees please contact the Natural Resource Specialist at 301-759-6607.

What are the benefits of street trees?

Street trees are beneficial to the quality of life and the urban environment. To learn more about the benefits of trees, please watch our fifteen minute video on the “The Power of Trees in Cumberland”

Who is responsible for pruning the street trees?

Citizens are NOT permitted to prune street trees; only a certified tree expert is allowed to prune street trees under the Maryland Roadside Tree Law. The City of Cumberland employs the Natural Resource Specialist, who is a certified tree expert.  In addition, the City employs several certified roadside tree care experts in the Street Department. If you would like to request that a street tree be pruned, please complete the online Tree Work Request form.

Pruning is performed in order to eliminate branches that come into contact with buildings, streetlights and road signs and to elevate the branches high enough so that pedestrians, cars and trucks may pass underneath.

If I would like a street tree, what do I do?

If funding is available, the City will purchase and install trees in the public right-of-way. If space is available in the public right-of-way in front of your house or business, you can fill out the online Tree Work Request form to have a street tree planted. Proximity to utility lines, street corners, street signs and other factors will be considered before a street tree will be planted. You may select the tree you would prefer to have planted from the Suitable Trees for Planting along Cumberland Streets list; the City of Cumberland will try to fulfill your request. If you have no preference, the street tree will be selected for you.

If a street tree has been planted in front of my house or business, what can I do to help?

Since street trees are generally placed in narrows planting strips with poor soil, they need more care to survive than they would in the forest.  Citizens can aide in the survival of street trees by watering and mulching the tree. For more information please visit the Tree Care and Maintenance link. In addition, citizens can notify the City of Cumberland via the online Tree Work Request form when street trees are diseased, hazardous, dead or if they have been vandalized.

Who is responsible for sidewalk repair?

The adjacent property owner is responsible for maintaining and repairing the sidewalk as described in the City Code Section 22-60.

What if a street tree has damaged the sidewalk in front of my house or business?

In the past, some street trees were planted in unsuitable locations and their roots have caused sidewalk upheavals. It is, again, the responsibility of the adjacent property owner to repair the sidewalk. To have a sidewalk that has been upheaved evaluated please contact the Natural Resource Specialist at 301-759-6607.

Currently, the City practices the “right tree, in the right place” policy. The goal is to plant trees that are suitable for the location and thus, eliminate sidewalk upheavals.

Who is responsible if a street tree in front of my house or business is damaging my sewer line?

The homeowner is responsible for maintaining and repairing the sewer line from their property to the connection with the City's sewer main or more generally, from the curb to the house.

Contrary to popular belief, tree roots will not damage sewer lines. Only after the sewer line has been cracked due to aging or the earth settling will the newly available water and nutrients attract the tree roots to the sewer line.

In the past, terra-cotta pipes, which are more prone to cracking, were used for sewer lines. Currently, the City of Cumberland installs watertight PVC or cast iron pipes for sewer lines in order to eliminate the problems terra-cotta pipes produced.

To have a street tree evaluated that is causing sewer line damage, please contact the Natural Resource Specialist at 301-759-6607. However, please note that the City will not remove a street tree solely because of tree roots in the sewer line; the removal of the tree will not solve the problem.

If the tree roots have entered the sewer system at the City’s sewer main, please contact Thomas Welsh at the Sewer Department at 301-759-6645.

I think that the street tree is dying in front of my house or business, what do I do?

You should contact the Natural Resource Specialist via the online Tree Work Request form. An evaluation of the street tree will be conducted by the Natural Resource Specialist. Trees that are dead, diseased or hazardous will be immediately removed.  If the street tree is still healthy or not hazardous it will not be removed. Residents are not allowed to remove a street tree without a permit from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Only adjacent property owners can apply to Maryland DNR for a permit to remove a street tree.

When a street tree has been removed in front of my house or business, what happens afterwards?

After a street tree is removed, the stump that is left behind will be cut flush with the ground. If a new tree is to be planted, the City of Cumberland will assume responsibility to have the stump removed. In addition, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources prefers that a tree be replaced when one is removed. However, a waiver can be requested by contacting the Natural Resource Specialist at 301-759-6607.