Residential users not affected by tree ordinance

By PAT NEWMAN
pnewman@thecitizennews.com

Is Fayette County's tree ordinance prompting an adverse effect on residential tree retention?

The real possibility that developers might clear-cut sites to get around the tree ordinance surfaced at Thursday evening's meeting of the county's Planning Commission.

Under the current ordinance, lots can be legally clear-cut before development, according to Chairman Bob Harbison. Apparently, land owners are being asked by developers to cut trees before they purchase and subdivide the land into lots. Residential lots are exempt from the tree ordinance. This eliminates the need for developers to mark specimen trees, which currently includes 22-inch pine trees.

The commissioners said they did not realize the extent of controls they were putting on developers with respect to the time it takes to tag numerous pine trees, which most people do not value, nor the possibility of the clear-cutting. They agreed to take another look at the ordinance and determine whether language interpretation or enforcement was the source of the problem.