Coweta County Adopts Tree Ordinance, Hires Full-time Arborist

Coweta County is the newest municipality in Georgia to adopt a tree ordinance. The ordinance, which passed earlier this Spring, made way for a new position in Coweta government: County Arborist.

Just a little over a month ago, Roy Matthews took the helm. Roy has a strong background in both arboriculture and urban forestry. As graduate of Bowling Green State University, he began his municipal career as a City Forester for Sandusky, Ohio, a tree maintenance supervisor for Savannah, GA, a Superintendent of Parks and Grounds for the City of Beaufort, SC, Grounds Supervisor for the City of College Park, and Superintendent of Grounds at Fort_McPherson/Fort Gillem.

I spoke to Roy Matthews over the phone, and asked him what he thought the main impetus was for the county to adopt a tree ordinance. "The primary concern was the rapid development of County," Roy commented, "There is no slowing of growth here, and there needed to be something to help conserve urban forest resources."

Roy holds the ISA Certified Arborist credential. He is also a member of the ISA, Georgia Arborist Association, and Georgia Urban Forestry Council. Some of his goals include the development of educational tree preservation workshops in Coweta County and the creation of constructive relationships with the land development community.

His favorite tree is the American beech.

The Coweta Tree Ordinance is similar to the Fulton County tree ordinance and several of the county ordinances around the metro area, focusing primarily on new development and not individual established residential lots. It has a Specimen Tree component, which should be familiar to all Atlanta residents, providing special status to mature hardwood trees over 24 inches in diameter on new developments.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Snake Bites Arborist

Don't get too comfortable in your Georgia back yard, because there are sometimes snakes afoot...or a-hand. A professional arborist in Atlanta was the victim of a venomous snake attack, apparently when the reptile became defensive as it was backed into corner at the base of a tree. The incident occurred in suburban Sandy Springs, a large city just north of Atlanta. It was on a mature residential half-acre lot. The back yard was covered in ivy and blackberry bushes, which make great cover for all sorts of fauna. The arborist was pulling thick ivy off the base of a large Tulip poplar when he was bitten. The snake sunk its teeth into the knuckle of his hand, and was able to dispense enough venom to make a nasty time of it. The arborist kept his wits about him, and was able to capture the snake and give him a complimentary ride to the hospital. The snake was initially believed to be a rattlesnake, but after recovery, the arborist positively identified it as a copperhead. Copperhe...
Read more

Guess the Tree's Age and Win!

Image
MikeB over at RegularDad gave me a great idea for this month's contest. Can you correctly pin this tree's age? Here is what you need to know: • The tree is in the Red oak family, most likely a naturalized Scarlet oak hybrid. • It is growing in the Atlanta area. • The photographs were taken last week. Make your guess by post a comment below. The person who comes the closest will receive a winner's link, with anchor text, to their blog or website of choice. Multiple winners are possible, so get at it!
Read more

Giant Pecan Tree Still Going Strong

Image
Mulberry Park residents and shoppers are treated daily to the grandeur of a landmark tree, a 54" diameter Pecan tree located at the entrance to the live/work community. Mulberry Park is a new multi-use development outside of Braselton, GA . The tree was saved during construction of the site in 2003 and 2004, when the new community was transformed from farmland. The tree used to be hidden next to an abandoned barn, struggling among thick undergrowth and rampant-grown swamp privet. Early in the project stages, Sivica Communities hired tree preservation expert, Jesse Milton , to join the team dedicated to saving this unique tree. The tree was given plenty of room for its roots to remain protected. Milton worked closely with the landscape architect, Hughes Good O'Leary and Ryan, to design a drainage system under the proposed road that would assure that the Pecan didn't drown. A lightning protection system was even installed in the tree canopy. Three and a half years la...
Read more