During the planning stages of development, the developer, planner and engineer are required to consider utilizing existing trees in their development plan. Site grading, band building and parking locations should be planned with consideration of their impact on existing trees. Development plans must include a tree survey showing:
- Deciduous hardwood trees > 6"
- Evergreen trees > 8"
- Ornamental trees > 2"
- Trees to be removed
- Trees to be planted
- Size and species of the above trees must be shown.
Replanting of trees is required for those trees where removal is necessary to facilitate development. For development of new sites, trees must be replaced at a rate of 1/2 of the total caliper inches removed. On redevelopment sites, trees must be replaced at a rate of one caliper inch of replacement for every inch removed.
Exemptions
Certain situations are exempt from tree replacement. They are:
- Trees removed during an emergency
- Trees located in the area of proposed buildings
- Trees on existing developed single family lots
- Trees < 12" on lots < 20,000 s.f. except those which were planted as part of a development landscape plan
- Dead or diseased trees as verified by the Building Department.