Tree News

On May 6 the Milton City Council gave a nod to a future revision of the current Tree Conservation Ordinance. When the City of Milton incorporated in late 2006, it adopted the Fulton County Tree Conservation Ordinance which was used in the area prior to the City's formation. Now, as the new city is maturing, council has approved a resolution to establish a citizens' participation group to revise or create a new Milton Tree Preservation Ordinance. The city of Sandy Springs , incorporated a year prior to Milton, successfully implemented a whole new ordinance in early 2007. When a community decides to adopt a new or revised tree ordinance in Georgia, the creation of a citizen's participation group or task force is a common procedure in Georgia.

A citizen group, patterned after the highly successful and popular Trees Atlanta , has emerged in the City of Sandy Springs. Trees Sandy Springs appears to have launched in late August. The group is spearheaded by Sandy Springs resident Nina Cramer. The group is currently involved with volunteer work projects to water and mulch young community trees in the Main Street district and at schools. Trees Sandy Springs will have a volunteer recruitment drive at the Sandy Springs Festival on September 15 and 16.

The Mayor and Council of Sandy Springs adopted a new Tree Conservation Ordinance, February 6, 2007, which was effective upon adoption. The Ordinance introduces concepts to protect tree canopy throughout the city, establishes a Tree Bank, and provides Administrative Standards and Best Management Practices. This new Ordinance will be the subject of two identical training sessions, conducted by the City Arborist, Michael Barnett. They are scheduled for: • Monday, February 12, 2007 from 1:00 to 3:00 pm in the City Council Chambers of City Hall, 7840 Roswell Road, building 500, and, repeated, • Thursday, February 22, 2007 from 1:00 to 3:00 pm in the Training room adjacent to the Council Chambers of City Hall. The City of Sandy Springs is posting an open invitation to all who wish to participate.

A public meeting on Jan. 11 will give Sandy Springs citizens an opportunity to ask questions about the city's proposed tree ordinance. There will be a presentation on how the ordinance works, the minimum requirements for land disturbance permits, the definition of specimen trees, the variance process, problems typically encountered on sites and enforcement. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. in City Council Chambers, located at City Hall in the Morgan Falls office park.

In what may be the most significant change to an existing Atlanta area tree ordinance,the City of Sandy Springs is drafting an entirely new tree ordinance. The new one is proposed to replace the standing ordinance, which is currently a duplicate of the Fulton County ordinance with a few administrative changes. The changes are not small. Rather than give the existing ordinance a tune-up, the proposed ordinance will dramatically change the way trees are inventoried, preserved, and replanted on construction sites and new developments. There will be an emphasis on tree canopy cover instead of trunk inches, and an improved method of accounting replacement and protected trees. Sandy Springs citizens will have more opportunities to comment on the City’s proposed Tree Ordinance in the coming months. There will be a public hearing at 7 p.m. on Jan. 11, 2007, at City Hall. The Advisory Committee will meet at 7 p.m. on Dec. 11 and Jan. 22, 2007. A draft of the ordinance, which promotes conservati...