Maumee advisory commission begins overhaul of city tree ordinance, will seek ODNR review

The Environmental Entry Advisory Commission on Aug. 28 began detailed revisions to Maumee's tree ordinance, focusing on updating a list of prohibited species, aligning standards with a new street-tree planting design and clarifying removal and pruning rules.

Commission members said the ordinance — portions of which date to 1992 (Ordinance 56-1992) and had minor edits through the 1990s — needs modernizing. The group discussed moving the list of prohibited species out of the city code and onto a web-managed resource so the list can be updated without returning to council for each change.

The proposal to relocate the prohibited-species list follows guidance members cited from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. "ODNR recommends not having it in your code," one member said, noting a web list would be easier to update. The commission emphasized that removing the list from the ordinance would not eliminate the list itself; it would remain…