Asheville Tree Protection Ordinance

Purpose: to regulate the planting of new trees and shrubbery; to vigorously encourage the protection of existing trees and shrubbery, including their root systems; to regulate the preservation, replacement and indiscriminate removal of trees and to establish procedures for fulfilling these purposes.

Includes the following provisions:
– The city council may establish an Urban Forestry Commission, made up of citizen volunteers. The commission may request information on trees located on city property and shall receive in a timely fashion, reports from the director of public works. The commission shall receive regular reports from city staff on landscaping and buffering plans for new developments and alterations to existing developments.
– Prohibits removal of or destruction to trees/shrubbery on city property
– Establishes a civil penalty for violations of the Asheville Tree Protection Ordinance of $100/day in violation.
– The public works director may prohibit the removal of a regulated tree or a tree that has been designated by the Asheville City Council as historic. The following factor(s) may be a basis upon which the public works director may deny a permit to remove a regulated tree: (1) there exist no current plan to develop the property; (2) the planned development can be constructed without removing the regulating tree; (3) the purpose for removal can be accomplished with less drastic results; (4) the health of the tree; (5) the proposal for replacement of the regulated tree; and (6) any other factors reasonably related to the tree.