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Kinnelon NJ, A a former resident of Kinnelon, New Jersey, has agreed to pay fines totaling approximately $13,000 for illegally removing trees from a neighbor’s property last year, according to the town’s municipal prosecutor. Grant Haber, formerly of the Morris County borough, faced charges for unlawfully removing 32 trees, but ultimately pleaded guilty to the removal of 18 trees in an agreement reached on Monday. Prosecutor Kim Kassar revealed that some of the trees cut down did not meet the borough’s criteria for removal. Each removed tree carries a potential fine of up to $1,000 according to Kinnelon’s code. The court imposed fines of $700 and $300 on Haber and the tree service, respectively, for each tree removed, along with additional court fees of just under $600 each. Haber and the tree service, Choco Tree Services, confirmed the guilty plea but offered no further comment. Kinnelon’s tree removal ordinance mandates that violators must replace the removed trees with a comparable or superior species at their own expense and ensure their care for two growing seasons. In a previous hearing, Kassar estimated the cost of replanting and caring for new trees on the neighbor’s property could exceed $1 million. The court has scheduled a restitution hearing for April 19, but Kassar declined to comment further on the proceedings. Haber sold the Kinnelon property in November 2023 for $1.8 million, according to deed records.
Continue reading North Jersey Man Fined for Unlawfully Removing 32 Trees
