Title 12 — Conservation
21 chapters · 371 sections in this title.
12 V.I.C. § 131 Title
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This chapter may be cited as “The Community and Heritage Tree Law of the Virgin Islands.”
12 V.I.C. § 132 Findings
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(a) Trees and shrubs provide important services to the people of the Virgin Islands and are known to assist with the natural control of solar heat, soil conservation, flood control, and air and noise pollution. They also provide a haven for wildlife and provide citizens with psyc…
12 V.I.C. § 133 Purpose and intent
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(a) This chapter encourages the conservation and preservation of trees in the Virgin Islands and provides a tool by which the community of the Virgin Islands may create and maintain healthy and vigorous community forests in public spaces. It ensures the proper care and preservati…
12 V.I.C. § 134 Definitions
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(1) In this chapter:(1) “ANSI” means the American National Standards Institute.(2) “Arborist” means a certified expert on tree care and maintenance certified by an institution, such as the International Society of Arboriculture.(3) “Care” means that which is required to maintain …
12 V.I.C. § 135 Virgin Islands Urban Foresters
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(a) To facilitate the implementation of this chapter, there is established within the Department of Agriculture the position of Urban Forester, one for the district of St. Croix and one for the district of St. Thomas and St. John. The Urban Forester shall work for and answer dire…
12 V.I.C. § 136 Virgin Islands Tree Board
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(a) There is established the Virgin Islands Tree Board to protect, manage, remove, and establish trees on public property within the Virgin Islands. The Virgin Islands Tree Board shall also identify, protect, and care for heritage trees that are of cultural, biological, and histo…
12 V.I.C. § 137 Permits — removal and pruning
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(a) A permit must be obtained from the Urban Forester in each respective district for all types of work or treatments to public trees, including branch and root pruning and the removal of public trees. (b) The scope of work set forth in the application must conform to the guideli…
12 V.I.C. § 138 Exemptions from permitting [Repealed]
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12 V.I.C. § 138 Statutes current through Act 9046 of the 2025 session of the 36th Legislature, including all code changes through October 25, 2025 Virgin Islands Code AnnotatedCopyright © 2026 All rights reserved.
12 V.I.C. § 139 Public hearings
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(a) Notice of a public tree removal, pruning or planting must be posted, advising the public of the date and description of tree that is to be removed. The notice must be posted in a prominent location and be visible from a public street. The notice must also be published in a ne…
12 V.I.C. § 140 Public tree removal and replacement
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(a) Trees with less than five inches dbh, tan tan trees (Leucaena leucocephela) and roadside brush may be removed without a permit. (b) An application to remove a public tree must be submitted to the Urban Forester for approval in the form of a Public Tree Removal Permit Request.…
12 V.I.C. § 141 Public tree planting
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An entity or person who wants to plant a tree in the road right-of-way or other public space must submit an application to an urban forester. Information regarding the location, spacing, tree species and the sizes of the trees must be included in the application. The urban forest…
12 V.I.C. § 142 Private trees as public nuisance
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(a) A certified arborist shall make the determination that a tree is a public nuisance tree. (b) The Urban Forester in accordance with the Virgin Islands Tree Board policies and best management practices has the right to prune or remove public nuisance trees that are located on p…
12 V.I.C. § 143 Preservation
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(a) No heritage tree may be pruned, removed or damaged in any way unless an Urban Forester, a designated arborist or the Territorial Forester determines that there is an overriding need for public improvements or a severe hardship exists for reasonable use of a site. (b) If an Ur…
12 V.I.C. § 144 Enforcement
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(a) The Territorial Forester shall enforce the provisions of this chapter and may issue citations or institute legal proceedings for violations of this chapter. (b) If it becomes necessary, the Territorial Forester may request assistance from the Department of Planning and Natura…
12 V.I.C. § 145 Penalties
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(a) Any person or entity that violates any provision of this chapter by causing, contributing to, or permitting the injury of, removal, or destruction of a public tree, shrub or a heritage tree is subject to a civil penalty of not less than $100, but not more than $500 for each v…
12 V.I.C. § 146 Exceptions
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(1) The provisions of this chapter do not apply to:(1) Work conducted on property owned by the Federal Government;(2) Activities that have minor effect on trees, such as collecting fruit from trees, home gardening and landscaping of an individual’s yard immediately surrounding a …