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Several homeowners undergoing housing renovations may be removing or destroying trees to accommodate additional structures, but the city is taking extra steps to protect what many regard as a significant characteristic of Saratoga.
Environmentalists will be happy to hear that the city's updated tree ordinance, which was drafted by members of the planning commission and Community Development Director, Tom Sullivan, includes new rules that make it more difficult for a resident to remove a tree from a property.
"We were concerned about the condition of many trees," said Planning Commission Chairwoman, Jill Hunter, who was one of the four on the subcommittee. "We felt that many trees were being lost for no good reason."
According to Sullivan, the ordinance was last updated in the early 1990s and was due for "substantial changes."
As stated in a report prepared by Sullivan, the most significant redirection deals with notifying residents of plans to include or remove native trees measuring at least six inches in diameter within 150 feet of the proposed site, as opposed to the original 10 neighboring properties.
A portion of the changes deals with the application process and measurements. In addition to detailing information about property easement, setback, topography and underground utility in the application, applicants must also include information about the trees' species, trunk diameter and proposed planting location. In the past, all trees measuring 12 inches at two feet above the ground were recorded. However, the numbers have been changed to 10 inches in diameter and 4 1/2 inches from the ground to be more consistent with standards set forth by the International Society of Arboriculture.
The revised ordinance also calls for stricter pruning regulations. Residents who intend to prune more than 20 percent of the tree's crown must obtain a permit. Failure to do so would result in a misdemeanor, which can be reduced to an infraction by a judge or dismissed by the city attorney as part of a negotiated settlement. The misdemeanor also applies to any other tree violation.
Under the ordinance, a tree fund will also be established to assist in the purchasing or replacement of trees. The fund will be a collection of the money collected from penalties.
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