A tree at Berkeley Green in Saranac Lake is seen Tuesday. The village Board of Trustees recently approved a local law that will establish a tree committee and the means for maintaining local trees. (Enterprise photo — Griffin Kelly)

SARANAC LAKE — This village is looking to set ground rules and take better care of its trees.

At Monday night’s meeting, the village Board of Trustees passed a new local law that is meant to maintain healthy trees and other plant life in the community.

The new law establishes definitions for street trees and park trees, a tree committee and the means of properly caring for trees.

Street trees are any trees in the village and park trees, shrubs, bushes and woody vegetation on publicly owned lands in the village, and park trees are the same type of plants in parks with individual names such as Riverside Park and Berkeley Green.

The Saranac Lake Tree Committee, a group of three appointed members, will be in charge of developing plans for caring for and removing village trees, maintaining an inventory of trees and providing long-term plans relating to street trees and shrubs.

Trees can be approved for removal if they risk public safety, have the potential to injure village infrastructure or are infected by fungus, insects or pests.

The village Department of Public Works would take care of the labor of planting, maintaining and removing trees.

Nobody but the village or an approved party can plant or remove trees on public property with out permission from the DPW superintendent.