The DeKalb County Planning, Economic Development and Community Services (PECS) Committee voted to recommend adoption of the county’s Urban Tree Canopy Assessment and endorsed a set of near‑term priorities meant to protect existing forested areas and guide future plantings.

Ms. Cathy Reid, from the Department of Planning and Sustainability, told the committee the consultant’s study of unincorporated DeKalb found canopy cover of about 60.4% — a net increase of roughly 2% from 2010 to 2023 — and estimated that the county’s trees provide “over $45,000,000 in economic benefits annually.” The study used high‑resolution aerial imagery validated by field visits and included recommendations on monitoring, planting goals, policy reviews and a county tree management program.

Commissioner Terry moved the committee recommendation, asking that administrators prioritize three actions immediately: revise tree‑bank language so developers may make cash contributions that can be used to purchase and preserve forested land; pursue the Arbor Day Foundation’s Tree City USA designation for DeKalb County; and provide staff analysis on the cost and scope of incorporating LIDAR into ongoing canopy monitoring. The motion also directs an evaluation of ordinances and land‑use regulations tied to canopy outcomes and asks that tree‑management staffing and training needs be considered in next year’s budgeting.

Several commissioners pressed for more than canopy area alone, asking staff to track forest acreage lost to development and to consider ecological metrics not captured by canopy percentage. Ms. Reid agreed the mapping visualizes change by hexagon (where a dot may represent one tree or many) and that tree growth, natural regeneration and targeted plantings account for much of the net gain in canopy. David Lee Bradford, the county’s new arborist, noted that replacing mature forest with young trees is not an ecological equivalent and urged longer‑term strategies for tree survival and invasive species control.

The committee’s motion passed by voice vote. Next steps include drafting ordinance updates, evaluating tree bank language and returning with cost estimates and an implementation plan for the recommended monitoring and management actions.