Environmental Commission

The Hammonton Environmental Commission was formed in 1975 and serves as an advisor to the Town’s Joint Land Use Board. Its primary mission is to enhance and protect the environmental quality of Hammonton. Additionally, the Commission acts as the Town’s Shade Tree Commission, overseeing the care of significant trees within the area.

The Town of Hammonton has been certified as a Tree City, USA by the Arbor Day Foundation for the third year in a row! The designation recognizes the commitment Hammonton has made to cultivating and caring for its trees.

This commitment includes operating a Municipal Tree Bank for future street tree and park plantings, recycling residential brush and leaves as mulch for area farms, distributing free tree seedlings to elementary school students and other residents, and working with residents in recommending and selecting trees native to the area to enhance our local environment and protect threatened pollinator and other species. For more information about the Tree City USA program and the Arbor Day Foundation, click here: www.arborday.org

Tree Removal Permit

Homeowners are responsible for the trees on their property, extending from the roadside curb inward. To remove a tree, residents must submit a tree removal application for approval per Hammonton Municipal Code, Chapter 267, Article II, §267-7 through §267-18. Trees to be removed MUST be flagged on your property, please identify with colored tape or ribbon.

*Note: Applications must be delivered to the the Municipal Clerk’s office at Town Hall, located on the 3rd floor, 100 Central Ave., Hammonton, NJ, 7 days prior to the next Environmental Commission meeting which is held on the second Wednesday of every month.

For urgent tree removal needs, contact Commission Secretary Kelly Vitalo at 609-567-4300 Ext. 102. For tree removal inquiries, please email info@townofhammonton.org with “Environmental Commission” in the subject line.

Tree Removal Permit Application

Commission Meeting Minutes

Famous Salem Oak lives on at Oak Grove Cemetery in Hammonton

Hammonton’s Salem Oak Sapling was planted at Oak Grove Cemetery to commemorate Arbor Day.

For more than 500 years, the iconic Salem Oak stood on West Broadway in the historic city of Salem until June 6, 2019, when it suddenly crashed to the ground. Before its demise, the Salem Oak was one of New Jersey’s best-known and most celebrated trees and was ranked among the state’s largest white oaks. Only months before the tree fell, foresters from the NJDEP collected acorns at the base of the Salem Oak.

From those acorns, nearly 1,200 seedlings sprouted and many are now being nurtured throughout New Jersey. The legacy of this famous tree lives on at Oak Grove Cemetery in Hammonton, NJ. Video by Hammonton Communications Director Adam Monacelli.

The Environmental Commission meets monthly on the second Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. Meetings are held in the first floor Council Chambers at Town Hall, 100 Central Ave., Hammonton, NJ. For questions or concerns, please email info@townofhammonton.org, with “Environmental Commission” in the subject line.