MOUNTAINSIDE — At the first work session meeting of the year 2025, the Mountainside Council reopened a discussion regarding a tree removal and replacement ordinance that was tabled last year.

According to state law, most municipalities are required to adopt a regulatory ordinance to mitigate tree removal on both public and private land in order to ensure that stormwater-management plans are not disrupted through soil erosion.

A boiler-plate ordinance drafted by the state of New Jersey’s De...