Brookhaven

These regulations aim to maintain a minimum density of trees and significant tree canopy coverage and pervious soil area in the city. The minimum tree density requirement of 130 DBH inches per acre and a minimum canopy cover of 45 percent must be met by all properties, regardless of whether they had trees before development or any tree removal.

To achieve the minimum tree density requirement, the guidelines provide several options, including preserving approved trees, providing tree care prescriptions for trees with 20 to 30 percent CRZ impact, preserving tree stands, planting approved trees, and not removing all existing trees outside the buildable limits.

Owners of abutting private property or their agents cannot remove or destroy approved trees located within the city public right-of-way. Trees within a designated pervious buffer area may qualify for density credit if the pervious buffer restoration special consideration is proposed and approved by the city arborist.

All trees counting towards the minimum requirements must be approved trees per section 14-50, and at least 80 percent of the critical root zone and the entire structural root plate must be protected from all forms of encroachment and construction activity. Tree care prescriptions must be provided for any proposed impacts within the CRZ, and no damages to trees may be incurred during the removal of invasive vegetation. Additionally, all vegetation listed on the Georgia Exotic Pest Plant Council Invasive Plant List must be controlled.

The city arborist has discretion in determining whether multiple trees growing together within a stand may be required to be preserved collectively based on factors such as shared symbiotic root, soil, mycorrhizae, and microbial networks, wind-throw buffering, sunlight buffering, potential equipment impact, and the conditions of specific trees within the stand. This code may apply where minimum site density exists.

For permitted land disturbance, a critical root zone impact of a city right-of-way tree qualifies the tree as a boundary tree, and a signed boundary tree agreement will not be required. However, all other necessary means of tree protection as determined by a qualified professional may be required.