Residential building permits were up sharply for the metro Atlanta region last year and experts are worried existing ordinances are not doing enough to save the city's lush tree canopy from the developer's ax.
Neil Norton, an arborist and Decatur resident, cites a townhouse development on the city’s north end as an example. The two-acre parcel was clear cut recently to make room for 33 units with prices starting in the “low $600s,” according to the developer’s website.
The city gave the developer permission to remove 106 existing trees with instructions to replant 67 young trees in their place. To make up for the lost trees, the developer agreed to pay $18,850 into the city’s tree bank. Some of that money likely will go to planting trees elsewhere, but it may also go into education programs or staff training.
Norton said that's a raw deal. While existing metro area tree ordinances allow developers to remove trees for a fee, Norton and other tree advocates believe local governments should require developers to retain "high-value" trees.
“It is good economics, not to mention sustainable growth,” he said.
Norton surveyed the site before clear cutting, and using standard appraising techniques, estimates the value of the lost trees at $279,300.
But that’s not all. If left alone, he said the trees would have soaked up 1.8 million gallons of storm water runoff over the next 25 years — a benefit to the city of another $108,000.
Government officials are not unaware of the benefits brought by Atlanta's tree-lined streets, but they also want to encourage growth, especially after years of recession. Decatur Mayor Pat Garrett said the city's recently updated tree ordinance seeks that balance.
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