By DAVE HAMRICK
Staff Writer

New rules for tree preservation in Fayetteville may be in place by next week, ending a moratorium on development in the city.

A special committee studying a proposed new tree preservation ordinance will meet Friday for one last pass at the document before making any final suggested changes.

The City Council can then discuss the ordinance in its work session tonight and vote take action in its business meeting Monday. Both meetings are at 7 p.m. at City Hall.

City officials are studying the ordinance to find ways to increase the number and size of trees required in new developments, and to provide incentives to save mature existing trees from the bulldozer.

Current laws haven't accomplished that goal as well as officials would like. Proposals in the new ordinance would require more trees on a development site, and would give existing trees twice as much weight in calculating the requirement for each development.

Developers would be required to complete tree surveys as part of the planning process, and the law would require that the grading, final placement of buildings, structures and roads, utilities and other features be designed to minimize the removal of trees.

Developers also would have to replace trees that die within 24 months after issuance of a certificate of occupancy, and bonds would have to be issued to insure the tree replacement.

A section of the proposed new law also provides penalties for violation of the law, including a minimum fine of $750 for removal of a protected tree, and jail for repeat offenders.

City Council imposed a moratorium on new development after several developers asked that the city spend more time studying the new law, and get more input from developers before implementing it.

Council members said they didn't mind delaying action on the ordinance, but they didn't want to lose trees that otherwise would have been saved during the study period.

“It only takes a couple of minutes with a bulldozer to knock a tree down,” said Councilman Al Hovey-King.

Council appointed a committee composed of city officials, citizens and developers to study the impact the proposed rules would have on developers' ability to make a profit and land owners' ability to use their land