As the most recent changes to the Tree Ordinance were going into effect in 2023, City Council passed a non-binding resolution on April 17, 2023 to establish a goal of achieving and maintaining 50% tree canopy cover. The resolution also requested a study every five years to evaluate the effectiveness of the Tree Protection Ordinance in meeting that goal.

We agree that the 50% canopy goal should help guide the development of tree-related initiatives and to monitor the success of those policies and programs.  However, Phase 2 of the Tree Ordinance rewrite is currently underway with no real commitment to achieving a 50% canopy goal. Instead, the official "directive" given by the City to the Tree Ordinance Rewrite committee is to:

•  Promote the preservation and management of trees in Atlanta,

•  Identify and specify opportunities for efficiently and equitably increasing canopy appropriately located throughout the city,

•  While minimizing impacts to developers, home and property owners, the public sector and other stakeholders.

Why Phase 2 of the Tree Ordinance Rewrite May Not Save The Tree Canopy

The directive given to the Phase 2 Tree Ordinance Rewrite committee is purely aspirational, with no actual measurable goals.  For the 50% canopy resolution to be effective, City Council must commit to:

1. Setting better standards for tree preservation,
   
   
2. Limiting the amount of land that can be disturbed in site development, and
   
   
3. Raising recompense fees to the current rate it costs to replace removed trees inch-for-inch.  Presently, the mandated recompense fees do not begin to cover the actual costs of tree replanting.

None of these commitments are included in the current directive, whereas the commitment to "minimize impact to developers" is. At some point, City Council must realize that an effective Tree Ordinance will impact developers' profits, and there is no "minimum" profit loss the development community will accept as long as City Council lets them keep avoiding it.

Also, changes being presently discussed in our Zoning Ordinance rewrite, which is occurring at the same time as the Tree Ordinance rewrite, do not include rezoning for greater tree preservation and planting. When asked how the new Zoning Ordinance will help save the tree canopy, the response is: "The Tree Ordinance rewrite will address this issue." However, zoning ordinances are integral to preserving land for trees, and yet the Zoning and Tree Ordinance rewrites are occurring in silos..