The selectmen of each town, except those having cities with coextensive boundaries within their limits, which cities have an officer with similar duties to those of a tree warden who in fact assumes control of all the territory embraced within their limits, and the warden or burgesses of each borough shall, within thirty days of their election, appoint a town or borough tree warden, as the case may be. Such tree wardens shall be appointed for the term of two years and until their successors are appointed and have qualified. Any tree warden may appoint such number of deputy tree wardens as said warden deems expedient and said warden may, at any time, remove any such deputy tree warden from office. A town or borough tree warden and such warden's deputies shall receive for their services such reasonable compensation, from the town or borough, as the town or borough may determine or, in default of such determination, as the selectmen or borough warden prescribes.

(1949 Rev., S. 3496; September, 1957, P.A. 11, S. 13; February, 1965, P.A. 614, S. 2; P.A. 13-203, S. 10.)

History: 1965 act deleted provisions requiring report to state park and forest commission upon selection of tree warden by selectmen or burgesses or, alternatively, requiring report to town or borough if commission makes appointment upon town or borough's failure to do so, deleted provisions re compensation of tree wardens, their supervision by the commission, etc.; P.A. 13-203 changed term for tree warden from 1 year to 2 years and made technical changes.

Law applied to city whose limits are not coterminous with those of town. 85 C. 133. A tree warden is a public officer; but if he does manual labor on trees at a separate charge, he does not then act as a public officer and if injured, comes under the workmen's compensation act. 102 C. 572.