Concerned that some changes proposed for the city's Tree Preservation

Ordinance went overboard and others weren't clear, members of the Peachtree

City Council voted to table the matter for further study following a public

hearing last week.

City Planner David Rast told the council that the ordinance had been completely

rewritten after nearly two years of work by a citizens advisory group.

The main intention in strengthening the ordinance was to give the city more

authority to address violations, to preserve the city's tree canopy

and to protect homeowners from fly-by-night tree removal companies.

The group studied 15 municipal tree ordinances from other cities before

writing the Peachtree City proposal, Rast said, and also consulted with arborists

and the U.S. Forestry Service.

"We tried to cover all the bases," he said.

The current ordinance has no meat, Rast said, and is inconsistent with many

of the city's standing policies on removing or protecting trees.

As an example, Rast cited an incident involving a lakefront homeowner who

recently removed all the vegetation along a city-owned greenbelt so he could

have a better view of the water from his house.

"I can't tell you the number of inspections we've done where

people have cleaned up a greenbelt, trimmed trees on city property, cleared

underbrush for a better view or whatever," he said. "The end result

has always been, 'Show me where in the ordinance it says we can't

do that?'"

The new ordinance would close that loophole, Rast said.

It proposed ordinance would also limit the size and number of trees homeowners

can remove from their property within a 12-month period to a total of 30

inches diameter, all trees added together.

In other words, the proposed rule would limit homeowners to removing 10

trees each three inches in diameter, or three 10-inch trees, or two 15-inch

trees, or any combination adding up to 30 inches in diameter during a one-year

period.

Also, it would require the purchase of a $25 permit and the hiring of certified

tree removal companies for big jobs.

Rast said the revenue would help pay for the considerable staff time spent

already on tree inspections.

Councilwoman Judi-ann Rutherford wanted to know if Georgia even licensed

tree services.

"I don't want to force something that doesn't exist," she

said.

Rast said he was unsure, and also added that the new rules would require

all tree companies operating in the city to have an occupational tax license

on file.

Rutherford also took issue with a portion of the ordinance that seemed to

indicate homeowners would have to buy a permit and hire a service to trim

trees on private property.

"It says that I as a homeowner have to have somebody to prune my trees,

and I have a problem with that," Rutherford said. "Have you priced

the cost of tree removal lately?"

Councilman Murray Weed said he'd like to see a stipulation in the ordinance

that requires replacement of trees as well as a fine when city greenbelt

has been infringed upon.

Rast said homeowners shouldn't be afraid the city is infringing on

their rights to remove trees.

"There have been very few times when we actually have gone out to inspect

a property and denied somebody the right to remove their trees," he

said.

But last year alone, the city issued 503 tree removal permits which resulted

in the lost of more than 4,000 trees, Rast said.

Already in 2004, the city has issued 477 permits and the city has lost 3,543

trees, Rast said. And those numbers don't count the number of trees

that were removed due to pine beetle infestation.

"And it's not like people are replacing the trees on their property," he

said.

No residents spoke out against the proposed changes in Thursday's hearing.

Homeowner Robert Brown, a regular watchdog at council meetings who worked

several years ago to get Peachtree City designated as a "Tree City,

USA," heartily endorsed it.

"We've lost 7,500 trees in less than two years," Brown said,

citing the figures noted by Rast. "That's not what being a 'Tree

City USA' is all about."