A forested parcel would be eligible for purchase by Atlanta, using city Tree Trust funds, if it met at least one of three conditions: at least 80 percent canopy cover; 50 or more mature trees per acre; and/or minimum tree trunk diameters of 1,000 inches.
Those are the parameters spelled out in a proposal to make “recompense” monies, paid by tree removers the city’s Tree Trust, available to buy private woodland.
According to an item on this week’s agenda of the Community Development & Human Resources Committee, the purchase of private woodland would have to be authorized by city ordinance. The site would have to be preserved as forested land “in perpetuity”; available for public use without cost, and restricted to passive recreational activities with minimal environmental impact.
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