(a) The legislative body of any town, city or borough may vote to establish a municipal forest for the purpose of raising timber, protecting water supplies, providing opportunities for outdoor recreation or employment of relief labor. For such forest such town, city or borough may appropriate money and purchase land, accept land or money by gift or bequest and allocate any land to which it holds title and which is suitable for the production of timber.

(b) The management and care of such forest shall be in charge of a forest commission of three members, to be appointed by such legislative body, one member to serve for three years, one for two years and one for one year, from the date of appointment. At the expiration of the term of office of each member, his successor shall be appointed in like manner for a term of three years. Such commission shall choose its chairman, shall serve without compensation and shall make an annual report to the town, city or borough and to the State Forester.

(c) Upon the establishment by a town, city or borough of a forest, the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection may, upon application in such form as he prescribes, furnish such town, city or borough with stock for the planting of the land contained in such forest.

(d) The legislative body of any town, city or borough may vote to assign to its forest commission or, in the absence of a forest commission, to a shade tree commission, to be constituted and appointed in the manner provided for in subsection (b) of this section for a forest commission, the supervision of public shade trees within such town, city or borough not under the supervision of the Commissioner of Transportation including the appointment of the town tree warden and the supervision of the town tree warden’s work.