Board overturns DPW denial, grants tree-removal permit with replacement-tree requirement

The board overturned the Department of Public Works Bureau of Urban Forestry’s denial and granted a permit to remove two trees at 635 Buena Vista West, conditioned on replanting two substantially larger replacement trees.

Carla Short, representing the Bureau of Urban Forestry, told the board that the bureau seeks to preserve healthy, established trees where possible and weighs long-term canopy and carbon benefits when evaluating removals. Short noted the bureau was prepared to support replacement planting of two 60-inch-box trees as an alternative to leaving the existing trees in place.

Appellant counsel Robin White said the property owner would accept replanting with two 60-inch-box specimens and proposed the species be agreed with the bureau at a later date. Vice President Fung moved to overturn the bureau’s denial and grant the permit conditioned on planting two 60-inch-box replacement trees with species to be approved by the DPW Bureau of Urban Forestry (BUF). President Garcia and Commissioner Holland voted Aye; the motion passed 3–0 and the permit was granted with those conditions.

The board’s decision gives final species-approval authority to DPW/BUF and requires the specified replacements as a condition of the granted permit.