Documents – Read latest draft of tree ordinance
Backyard water oak. Photo by Kathryn Kolb, courtesy of Trees Decatur
Backyard water oak. Photo by Kathryn Kolb, courtesy of Trees Decatur
The city of Decatur on May 9 released an updated draft of a proposed tree ordinance that will provide more oversight over tree removal in the city.
City Commissioners will consider adopting it on May 19 at 7:30 pm, a notice from the city says.
“The purpose of the update is to modernize the existing ordinance which was developed in 1988, and encourage the conservation of existing tree canopy,” the notice says. “Regulation of tree cover is one of several approaches being used by the city to manage the community forest.”
Here are the documents provided by the city:
O 14 AA Tree Conservation Ordinance 050914
Administrative_Standards_Decatur_050914
Current Tree Protection Strategies
Trees! Work Session Presentation May 2014
The notice also has a subsection titled, “What are the impacts on residents?”
According to the city:
Under the revised draft, owners may remove up to 3 protected trees every 18 months. Homeowners will be required to fill out a free, informational permit which will allow the City to track tree canopy. A protected tree is defined as having a 6 inches or greater diameter at breast height. If protected tree removal is part of a project that requires a land development permit or is the 4th or greater protected tree removal within 18 months, then the owner must document the existing tree canopy cover and maintain the same amount of tree canopy once the project is complete. For example, if a property has 40% tree canopy cover and the owner decides to build an addition that will cause the removal of a 12” tree with 600 square feet of tree canopy, then the owner will have to plant 600 square feet of new tree canopy cover.
The city’s tree ordinance traveled a long way to get to this point. City Commissioners first started looking at the ordinance in October of 2013 and enacted a 90 day moratorium on tree removal. The moratorium ended Jan. 24, three days after city commissioners scrapped the first version of the ordinance after a public outcry.
The May 19 meeting will be held at city hall, located at 509 North McDonough Street.