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'Grand' Trees Protected in Safety Harbor

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By Mark  Schantz | The Suncoast News

Published: November 17, 2007

SAFETY HARBOR, Fla. - SAFETY HARBOR, Fla. - If a "grand" tree grows in Safety Harbor, the city will protect it.

Last week, the City Commission voted to enact a "grand" tree ordinance. The ordinance contains regulations to protect trees labeled grand based on their size and other factors.

In addition to regulating the removal of grand trees, the rules will govern activities that may adversely affect them, according to Alan Mayberry, the city's consulting arborist.

Mayor Andy Steingold said the rules will apply to some pretty big trees in the city.

More trees that are still fairly young trees will qualify for grand status under the Safety Harbor ordinance than would do so under tree ordinances in other cities, Mayberry noted.

Under the newly adopted ordinance, each developer must have a certified arborist inspect and grade each grand tree in a proposed construction area as part of site plan approval.

If no site plan approval is required the tree inspection has to be done as part of the building or land alteration permit.

A grand tree has to meet species, certain trunk diameter size and overall condition requirements.

Various varieties of oak, magnolia, sweetbay, bald cypress, hickory, elm, cedar and pine qualify for grand tree protection.

Under the new regulation, a grand tree could only be removed from a construction site if it is determined:

n Preserving the tree would increase construction costs by more than 5 percent.

n Denying removal would prevent reasonable economic use of the property.

The grand tree ordinance was adopted on a 4-1 vote. The lone dissenter, Commissioner Joe Ayoub, said he thought setting the extra-cost threshold for grand tree removal at 5 percent was too arbitrary.

Under the regulations, the city manager will decide whether there is no alternative to removing a grand tree. The manager's ruling can be appealed to the City Commission.

The ordinance also establishes a tree bank fund. Developers can pay into the tree bank when there is no room onsite to replace trees that were removed.

Money from the fund would be used to buy trees that will be planted elsewhere around the city.

The ordinance also requires the city to develop an inventory of grand trees.

There are quite a few trees in the city that will not be covered by the grand tree ordinance and could be lost, Steingold said.

Mayberry said the city was not considering a tree preservation ordinance. Instead, he said: "This ordinance will create a consciousness about grand trees. Developers will design around grand trees."

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