Alpharetta to discuss simplified tree ordinance

A simplified tree ordinance, possibly with more incentives and options for saving trees, is to be discussed Monday by the Alpharetta City Council.

The Council meets at 6:30 p.m. in City Hall, and the tree discussion is to occur during the workshop portion of the meeting. The Natural Resources and Planning Commissions are expected to take up the issue in August, and the Council may vote on the reworked ordinance in September.

The revised ordinance may measure trees by trunk diameter, rather than density; recognize certain quick-growing species for tree replacement to have faster visual impact; and give better incentives to preserve clusters of trees, even if individual trees in a cluster might not qualify as desirable specimen trees by themselves, said Assistant City Administrator James Drinkard.