Letter Supporting the Tree Canopy Preservation Amendment
On September 8, The Asheville City Council unanimously voted to approve this Amendment and the fee-in-lieu option for tree removal!
Over the past 10 years, Asheville has lost 6.4 percent of its urban forest canopy– the equivalent of more than 900 acres of trees–mostly as a result of the development necessary to meet the demands of a growing city.
During this period, the City has not had any meaningful ordinance language, programs or policies in place to counter this devastating loss of tree canopy, nor bring a better balance between development and preserving our urban forest.
Now, the City of Asheville has the unique opportunity to make a difference. The Department of Development Services, working with Asheville’s Urban Forestry Commission and other groups, has developed a Tree Canopy Preservation Amendment to the Unified Development Ordinance.
This amendment will give developers the flexibility to build their projects, while also preserving trees. This is a win-win for the City of Asheville.
The Tree Canopy Preservation Amendment is an important first step in restoring our urban forest. To augment this ordinance change, the Urban Forestry Commission also will be asking the City Council to approve a Zero Net LossTree Canopy Resolution, which will commit the city to creating programs, polices, practices and partnerships to ensure this canopy restoration takes place.
The City-commissioned study that chronicled the critical decline of our urban forestry ended with this challenge: The loss in tree canopy described in this study should serve as a call to action for the City of Asheville.
The time for this call to action is now.
Please join us in this Letter of Support for the Tree Canopy Preservation Amendment and the Zero Net Loss Resolution. Every voice matters. Here is the link:
Add your name, address, and phone number to this Letter of Support:
SAVE ASHEVILLE TREES
Call on City Council to Vote YES on a Tree Canopy Preservation Ordinance.
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