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Tree caucus urges stronger preservation standards and funding in pending Atlanta ordinance
Summary
Members of a tree preservation working group told the council a draft tree ordinance contains five gaps that would lead to more trees removed and fewer plantings; they warned implementation could require additional staff and tree‑fund resources.
Members of Atlanta’s tree caucus and a preservation working group urged council members to ensure the draft tree ordinance closes five gaps they say have caused poorer outcomes in prior rules and would worsen tree loss if left unchanged.
Dalil Anthony, speaking for the tree caucus that collaborated on a draft ordinance last year, said the version released by the city in January could be ‘‘a rather herculean task’’ to implement and argued it will require additional staff to administer a preservation standard effectively. ‘‘If this tree ordinance goes through with any 1 of those 5 gaps unclosed, then it’s guaranteed that the new tree preservation ordinance will be worse than what we currently have,’’ Anthony said.
Anthony told the committee the caucus welcomes a work session scheduled for Thursday and urged the city to prioritize forward progress that preserves and replants trees rather than rolling back protections. Councilmembers discussed logistics for a public work session, and one requested a redline copy of proposed edits before the session so stakeholders could compare drafts.
The city’s planning staff and other parties were preparing to review the draft and host a work session; no substitute ordinance or final vote occurred during the meeting.
