Buildings in the district span Federal, Greek Revival, Late Victorian, Classical Revival and Art Deco styles, which means slate roofs, built-in gutters, ornate porches and old masonry are often right under the canopy. Pruning or removal here is usually planned from the top down. A climber or bucket works through the crown, each limb is tied off and lowered under control, and nothing is allowed to swing into a cornice or a leaded window. Ask the contractor how they will protect what is beneath the tree, not only how they will cut it.
Old trees in old neighborhoods tend to carry old injuries. Decades of sidewalk replacement, curb work and utility trenching cut roots, and a wound at the base can open a cavity where rot sets in. That is what happened to a young maple in front of the Vail Mansion on South Street, which the Shade Tree Commission chair said had a damaged base with rot inside before a storm pushed it over. On a mature tree, the same kind of hidden decay is worth an inspection, sometimes with a sounding mallet or a resistance drill.
Street trees follow different rules. In Morristown, trees in the right of way or on town property are maintained by the town's own tree crew, and residents are not authorized to prune them or hire an outside company to work on them. If a town tree overhangs your roof or drops limbs in your yard, report it through the town's report a concern page or contact the Shade Tree Commission, and keep your contractor's work to the trees on your side of the property line.
Worth knowing in Morristown Historic District
The Morristown District was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973, and a 1986 boundary increase expanded it from 93 to 213 acres with 352 contributing buildings.
en.wikipedia.orgA young maple in front of the Vail Mansion on South Street toppled in a storm after rot set into a damaged base, according to the Shade Tree Commission chair.
morristowngreen.comMorristown says trees in the right of way or on town property must be handled by the town tree crew, not residents or outside companies.
townofmorristown.org
Questions from Morristown Historic District homeowners
Does historic district status add tree rules for my yard?
Historic designation is mainly about buildings. For trees, the questions to ask the town are whether the tree is a town street tree and whether the work is tied to a construction project, which brings its own tree protection rules.
How is a tree taken down next to a slate roof?
Usually piece by piece. The crew ties off each limb and lowers it on ropes, sometimes with a crane lifting larger trunk sections, so nothing lands on the roof. It is slower than an open drop, and the quote will reflect that.