Article 13 — Site Development, Chapter 13-3 — TREE PROTECTION

Except as exempted by this Chapter, a tree protection zone is hereby established which applies to the entirety of a tract of land for which no tree protection plan has been approved. After such approval, the tree protection zone shall correspond to that part of a tract of land designated as such on said plan. Tree protection zones shall be shown on land development plans and preliminary subdivision plats, as applicable, or a separate tree plan shall be submitted to demonstrate compliance with this Chapter.

The tree protection zone shall not apply to the following, except that any construction, paving, or other activity on a property that will damage trees on the public right-of-way is subject to the restrictions of this Chapter for the protection of existing trees:

herein); and

It shall be unlawful for any person to:

The retention of trees is the highest priority and shall take precedence over the removal of trees and replacement with smaller trees. Tree protection and landscaping plans shall be reviewed for compliance with the following provisions, and noncompliance with this Section may be grounds for disapproval of tree protection and landscaping plans required by this Chapter:

Additionally, replacement trees shall be a minimum of 3” caliper.

A preliminary tree plan may be submitted for development of an industrial park where multiple sites will be cleared and graded for purposes of marketing vacant sites to industrial prospects.

Planting of new trees will not be required on a lot until a use is developed on that lot, and locations of new trees need not be shown on the preliminary plan. Removal of significant trees and other trees 10” DBH or larger shall be permitted only in conjunction with an approved preliminary tree protection plan, an approved grading plan, and actual grading of building pads (i.e., not simply to clear the lot). The preliminary tree protection plan shall show the following:

without subtracting any building footprint area from the acreage and (2) by subtracting one-third of the lot area as assumed building area.

When a choice is available as to which existing trees to save, emphasis shall be given to the preservation of significant trees, as defined in this Chapter, even isolated significant trees, over retention of other trees. Non-significant trees, however, should be saved in stands rather than as individual trees scattered over a site.

shall be required every 20 feet of fencing.

Where necessary, the use of moderate fill is permitted only with prior installation of an aeration system approved by the city. Deposition of sediment in such critical root zones shall be prevented by placement of sediment barriers, which shall be backed by 2 x 4-inch wire mesh in areas of steep slope.

Compliance with the required Site Density Factor shall be demonstrated on the Tree Protection and Replacement Plan and the Grading and Erosion Control Plan. All trees that are to be counted toward meeting density requirements must be inventoried or sampled based on the acreage of the development site. The method used to inventory the trees must be indicated on the plans.

On tree save areas greater than three acres, all tree save areas must be surveyed using an approved scientific sampling method (e.g., Basal Area). Timber cruising methods (50’ X 50’

sample areas or the prism method) of sampling is needed for large tracts. One sample required for every three acres of Tree Save Area. Sampling should be done in areas to remain as undisturbed Tree Save Areas, not areas intended for development. The contents of each sample area shall be inventoried. All sampling areas shall be accurately depicted on the Tree Protection and Replacement Plan and appropriately flagged to corresponding locations on the actual site.

When using sample areas, the basal area units should be averaged and an existing density factor per acre determined. Using this tree density, the appropriate amount of tree save area should be preserved to meet the Site Density Factor requirements. These calculations must be included on the tree plan.

One “tree unit” is not the same as one “tree.” For existing trees, the “tree units” assigned are the cross-sectional areas of the trunks at DBH in square feet. For new trees, credits given reflect a size that will be achieved after several years of growth. When the calculation of tree units required results in a fraction, the number of tree units shall be rounded upward to the next highest whole number.

The diameter of an existing tree’s trunk will be measured and a value assigned in “tree units” in accordance with Table 13-6. When an existing tree meets the definition of “significant

24 3.8 47 15.0 25 4.2 48 15.8 26 4.6 49 16.4 27 5.0 50 and above 17.0

The diameter of a replacement tree’s trunk will be measured and a value assigned in “tree units”

in accordance with Table 13-7. For purposes of this Section, a “large species” is one that will

up to the nearest whole number.

Where the proposed development area (i.e., the buildings, accessory uses, and parking area) does not permit the retention or planting of trees equivalent to the minimum tree units per acre of the development site, the following regulations shall apply:

may be invasive over time Platanus x acerifolia London Planetree Deciduous, urban-tolerant Y Y Quercus acutissima Sawtooth Oak Deciduous, specimen tree Y Y Quercus alba White Oak* Deciduous, difficult to transplant Y Y Quercus bicolor Swamp White Oak* Deciduous, sun, shade and wind tolerant Y Quercus coccinea Scarlet Oak* Deciduous, drought tolerant Y Quercus falcate Southern Red Oak* Deciduous, drought tolerant Y Y Quercus laurifolia Laurel Oak* Deciduous, drought tolerant Quercus lyrata Overcup Oak* Deciduous, transplants well, adapts to poor sites Quercus nigra Water Oak* Deciduous Y Y Quercus nuttallii Nutall Oak Deciduous, transplants well Y Y Quercus palustris Pin Oak Deciduous, specimen tree Y Y Scientific Name Common Name Comments Appropriate Planting Location Street Parking Lot Buffer Quercus phellos Willow Oak* Deciduous, drought tolerant Y Y Quercus prinus Chestnut Oak Y Y Quercus rubra Red Oak Deciduous Y Y Quercus shumardii Shumard Oak* Deciduous, good street tree Y Y Quercus stellata Post Oak Robinia pserdoacacia Black Locust Deciduous, hardy tree Taxodium distichum Bald Cypress Deciduous, specimen tree Y Thuja ‘Green Giant’ Green Giant Arborvitae Conifer, hardy/adapts well to saturated clay soils Y Zelkova serrata Green Vase Japanese Zelkova Deciduous, good street tree/fast growth Y Y Small Trees Acer palmatum Japanese Maple# Deciduous, specimen tree Amelanchier arborea Serviceberry# Deciduous, spring flowering Carpinus caroliniana American Hornbeam* Deciduous, tough urban-tolerant & wet-tolerant Cercis canadensis Eastern Redbud*# Deciduous, spring flowering Cedrus atlantica Atlas Cedar Conifer, specimen tree Y Cedrus deodora Deodar Cedar Conifer, specimen tree Y x Cupressocyparis leylandii Leyland Cypress Conifer Y Chionanthus virginicus Fringe Tree*# Deciduous, specimen tree Cladratis kentukea American Yellowwood* Deciduous, specimen tree Scientific Name Common Name Comments Appropriate Planting Location Street Parking Lot Buffer Cornus florida Flowering Dogwood*# Deciduous, specimen tree Cornus kousa Kousa Dogwood# Deciduous, spring flowering Cotinus obovatus American Smoketree*# Deciduous, spring flowering Y Hamamelis virginiana Witch-hazel*# Deciduous, specimen Ilex x attenuate ‘Fosteri’ Fosters Holly# Broad-leaf, specimen tree/light shade-tolerant Y Ilex cassine Cassine Holly* Broad-leaf Y Ilex x ‘Emily Bruner’ Emily Bruner Holly# Broad-leaf Ilex x ‘Nellie R.

Stevens’ Nellie Stevens Holly Broadleaf Evergreen Y Ilex opaca American Holly* Evergreen (broad-leaf), specimen tree Y Ilex opaca ‘Greenleaf’ Greenleaf Holly Broad-leaf, compact habit of growth Y Ilex verticulata Winterberry* Evergreen, specimen Y Ilex vomitoria Yaupon Holly (Tree Form)* Evergreen, drought tolerant Y Illicium floridanum Florida Anise Shade tolerant Y Koelreuteria paniculata Golden Raintree Deciduous, drought tolerant Y Loropetalum chinense Loropetalum Semi-shade tolerant Y Magnolia virginiana Sweetbay Magnolia* Semi-evergreen Y Malus ‘Callaway’/ x ‘Dolgo Callaway Crabapple#/ Dolgo Crabapple# Deciduous, flowering & fruit/ disease resistant Myrica cerifera Southern Wax Myrtle* Sun, drought tolerant Y Osmanthus americanus Devilwood* Shade tolerant Y Scientific Name Common Name Comments Appropriate Planting Location Street Parking Lot Buffer Ostrya virginica Ironwood* Evergreen, specimen Oxydendrum arboretum Sourwood Deciduous Y Pinus virginiana Virginia Pine Evergreen Y Pistacia chinensis Chinese Pistache Deciduous, hardy & heat-tolerant Prunus caroliniana Carolina Cherry Laurel Broad-leaf, susceptible to ice damage Y Prunus mume Japanese Apricot# Deciduous Prunus subhirtella var. autumnalis Fall Blooming Cherry# Deciduous, specimen Quercus myrsinifolia Chinese Evergreen Oak* Evergreen (broad-leaf), specimen tree Y Thuja occidentalis Northern White-Cedar; Eastern Arborvitae Y Ulmus alata Winged Elm* Deciduous, drought tolerant Y Table Notes:

(*) Indicates Native Species (#) Indicates Flowering Tree Species that may count toward site density factor

In addition to the maintenance requirements of Section 13-2-8, the following apply to all trees installed and planted to comply with Section 13-3-20.