Walton County holds workshop on draft tree-protection ordinance; staff to revise draft after public input

Walton County planning staff held a public workshop to review a draft tree-protection ordinance and invited residents, engineers and developers to comment. The session produced detailed questions about which projects the rules would cover, the ordinance’s interaction with existing preservation requirements and technical concerns about how mitigation and tree surveys would be applied. No vote or formal action was taken.

County staff opened the meeting by describing changes in the draft: a required tree-protection plan for most new developments, a cumulative 60-inch diameter-at-breast-height (DBH) preservation threshold, and language that would prohibit removal of landmark trees except through a development order, clearing permit or other approved process. A county planning staff member said the version on the front desk reflected revisions made after earlier public comments and that the workshop was intended to focus solely on the draft tree-protection ordinance.

The draft would exempt single-family dwellings on existing lots from the tree-protection plan requirement, a change staff highlighted after public questions. Multiple speakers pressed for additional clarifications and exceptions — notably for agricultural uses and county projects — and asked that language on how preserved trees count toward…