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Atlantic Beach committee backs $10,000 pilot to help homeowners preserve 'heritage' trees
Summary
The Environmental Stewardship Committee voted July 9 to recommend the City Commission approve a pilot Heritage Tree grant using the Tree Trust Fund: up to $10,000 over 18 months, grants up to $1,000 per private property tree, available once every two years and tied to a city-approved arborist assessment.
The Atlantic Beach Environmental Stewardship Committee on July 9 recommended that the City Commission approve a pilot grant program aimed at preserving large, privately owned "heritage" trees.
Committee member Dan Giovannucci moved the proposal, saying the program "would provide an incentive to citizens for assessing the health of these unique trees" and would fund arborist assessments and matching grants if work is needed. The motion as approved sets an 18-month pilot budget of up to $10,000 and grants up to $1,000 per tree; the committee removed mandatory matching language to make the pilot easier to access.
The pilot is targeted at private homeowners rather than city-owned trees, and includes a requirement that assessments be performed by a city-approved arborist. Giovannucci said the program was intended to encourage designation and preservation rather than to subsidize removal: "If in some cases it actually saves a 200-year-old rare tree, it's worth it," he said.
Committee members debated duration and frequency. The adopted language limits grants to once every two years per recipient, and the pilot will run for 18 months to allow time for outreach and uptake. Members also discussed safeguards, including a heritage-tree designation requirement and conditions that increase mitigation obligations if a recipient later removes a tree.
The committee approved the recommendation by voice vote and will forward the motion to the City Commission for consideration.
The next procedural step is for staff to prepare the formal recommendation and ordinance changes needed to permit use of the Tree Trust Fund for private-property grants, and to present the item to the City Commission.
