Checking in on County Tree Legislation Two Years Later
How is the county doing on administration of the 2013 tree bills?
|
|
Planting the first tree to replace lost canopy
An April 27th event launched the Tree Montgomery program to use fees charged to developers for replacement of tree canopy lost to development. Pictured left to right: Caren Madsen, Chair of Conservation Montgomery, Laura Miller, Forest Conservation Coordinator for the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), DEP Director Lisa Feldt, County Executive Ike Leggett, County Councilmember Hans Riemer, Jean Cavanaugh of the County Forest Conservation Advisory Committee and Diane Cameron, Conservation Director for the Audubon Naturalist Society and a founding board member of Conservation Montgomery. |
In 2013, Conservation Montgomery led a grassroots coalition called "Trees Matter" to win passage of two landmark tree bills for the county, one dealing with street or roadside trees and the other providing legislation to mandate replacement of urban canopy destroyed by new development. Residents throughout the county urged the Council to pass the bills in order to conserve our vital tree canopy that enhances our quality of life and provides a multitude of environmental services. Both bills went into effect in March 2014. Conservation Montgomery recently posed questions to county officials to check in on progress made in administering the tree legislation.
Q. Have regulations been written?
The regulations for both bills were advertised in the December 2013 edition of the County Register. The Department of Permitting Services (DPS) received comments from four individuals. Both Arlene Bruhn, who serves on the Conservation Montgomery Board of Directors, and Mark Buscaino, who is an advisor to the Board, sent comments. These comments were addressed and both sets of regulations were sent to the County Council for approval. The Council Transportation & Environment Committee reviewed the regulations on March 11, 2014. The County Council approved them on March 18, 2014.
Read the full article here....
