Tree Ordinance

[Tom]

The subject of Tree Ordinances came up today while I was sawing.  You may be amazed at the number of people opposed to them in Southern cities only to have them approved anyway.  Most times they end up being a non-sensical, illogical, Blivit that unfairly imposes undue hardship on the citizens of a community.

Here is a memo I found on the Fernandina City's web page requesting changes.

http://www.fernandinabeachflorida.org/city-services/community-development/TreeMemo.pdf

[Frank_Pender]

I know very well what you are speaking of, Tom.  A good friend of mine had me fall some 4' Oregon Oak about two years ago in and on his own private gated housing development.  Some of the highend spenders that purchased a lot and house from him turned him to the city goosesteppers and he ended with a $500 fine.  They tried to get him to tell them who fell the tree for him and he refused by say some hard-up looing logger he met on the road just out of town.   They bought it, hook, line and sinker.  It saved my rearend as well, as they wanted to hang me out to dry for the same amount.  Just another way to tax without public input.

[Ernie]

Aint civil servants grand :'( :'( :'( :'(

[Tom]

The sad thing, Frank, is that it is not only a tax but a degrading and punitive intimidation.   Exactly the kind of thing one would not expect to find in a free society.  It's just another sign of a Bureaucracy run amok

I'll bet there are other plans like this that are worse.  Why is it anyone's business what you do on your own property, with your own property.   I also hate programs like this that encourage tattle telling on neighbors.  It reminds me of the Hitler Youth in WWII.

[farmerdoug]

Remember them when you vote.  I sit on the ZBOA for our township and we try to be fair.  I also go to most of the board meetings and to tell you the truth there is very few resdents at any of meetings.  So only the few that do attend are heard and decisions are often decided on their opinions.  I know as I have influenced our board several times in the last year.  If you do not vote or go to the meetings you should not complain to much as cool heads prevail if there and heard.  We are a AG township that is growing houses so I fight to keep out the yuppie rules as best I can but sometimes one is not enough.  We still have a belief in owners rights here but an election can change that in a hurry.  The township on the north side of Port Huron slipped a rule in that says that a parking lot is for parking only so no sales out there of any kind including charities.  It seems you pay taxes on the lot but you have no control of it use there.

[Ron Wenrich]

I heard there are over 3500 tree ordinances in the state of PA.  We also have a right-to-harvest law.  One that I'm familiar with states that you need to get a permit if you cut more than 1 tree/acre per year.  They also do the inspections. 

The predominant ordinance is no clearcutting.  That's great if you like high grading. 

Personally, I don't have a problem with a well written ordinance.  Most of them are poorly written and the administration is even worse.  I think that harvesting should have a written plan with an inventory that is reviewed by a forester, not an engineer.  There should also be on site inspections.

There are benefits to the community and the landowner if a timber harvest is well thought out and executed.  Those forests provide the community with a green backdrop and aesthetics that everyone enjoys.  So, what happens on another's property is of their concern. 

A good-ole-boy club on some zoning board won't make it.  We had one hog farmer who thought he had to build a high density hog farm next to a KOA campground and on the edge of a new development.   Zoning board thought it was OK, neighbors thought differently.  Some common sense would have gove a long way.

Any board with an ordinance should have a professional working with them.  The have consulting engineers, lawyers and accountants, so why not foresters? 

[rebocardo]

I am not clear on all the details though I will relate what I know. In Atlanta GA you have to have a city arborist come out to your property to get permission to take a tree down and it costs $300-$600 for the appointment and they are backed up six months.

I have talked to a few firewood customers in Atlanta and the jist of it is "I want to take down the dead or dangerous tree, but, noone is going to charge me to tell me what to do with my own tree. I rather call someone when it falls over on my neighbor's house to remove the wood that is left on my property then pay the city their tax."

The people will pay $1000-$2000 to remove a tree, but, absolutely refuse to pay the city of Atlanta to get permission to remove it. I think the law exists to keep the city green and I know the areas around Atlanta purchase "green" space to preserve it for future generations.

I was talking to my former boss and he was working putting an addition on this woman's house. She thought she would be smart and cut down two big oaks (probably 20" DBH each going by the description). She had a crew come in on a 3 day weekend (MLK), cut the trees down, grind them, and sod the whole lawn so you could not tell trees were even there. City of Atlanta ended up fining her $17,000 for the two trees. 



 

[Buzz-sawyer]

$1700 for daring to cut 2 trees in her own yard.......She is a law breaker and recieved the punishment applicable under the codes/statutes
Well, we the people enable OUR elected officials to do this and they will continue to strech the line until they offend, abuse and degrade the populace to the point..............that  we the people remove them from our service and reform our laws
Happens every time , just look at history

[Cedarman]

Indiana is in the process of passing a right to practice forestry law.  It will make all ordinances that restrict the right to practice forestry null and void. It will also say practicing forestry is not a nusciance and any lawsuit brought against someone logging their land in a standard manner will have to pay the plaintiffs cost of going to court if they lose. It passed the Senate 49 to 0 and is now in the House. I am calling my rep today to let him know how to vote.

I do not understand the big deal about cutting trees, they are growing twice as fast if not more than they are being cut down. Fly in an airplane or drive down the road, about all you see are trees. East of the Mississippi we are doing a good job reforesting our lands not that more could be done.