The Beaufort County Planning Commission voted Monday against increased regulation of tree removal on private property, saying only some live oaks should be protected.
The commission's six members unanimously voted to send a tree ordinance to the Beaufort County Council, but they recommended stripping language that protects anything other than live oaks with a diameter of 18 inches or more.
The current tree ordinance has come under fire because owners of homes built since 1999 have to get a permit to remove any tree, while owners of homes built before 1999 only need a permit to remove a live oak 12 inches or more in diameter. The county is trying to create language that applies equally to all homeowners in unincorporated parts of Beaufort County.
The planning commission also recommended the County Council craft an exception in the new ordinance that allows homeowners to cut trees in imminent danger of falling on a house.
The language the planning commission says should be removed from the proposal would require homeowners in unincorporated areas to get permits to take down "significant" trees, which are defined as:
• Live oaks, black walnuts and longleaf pines with diameters of 24 inches or more
• Loblolly pines, slash pines and shortleaf pines with diameters of 36 inches or more
• All other native, noninvasive trees with diameters of 30 inches or more
The planning commission's vote to remove the language is only a recommendation. The County Council still can adopt language protecting a wider variety of trees.
Chris Marsh, executive director of the environmental group The LowCountry Institute, disagreed with the planning commission's recommendation to water down the ordinance.He said the county needs to get beyond the idea that only live oaks are important."One of the key concerns of professionals in urban forestry is that communities rely on just one species of tree," Marsh said.He added that if a disease "were to devastate live oaks, it'd leave us treeless, just like Dutch elm disease left Philadelphia treeless."
David Tedder, an area lawyer who owns two acres on Lady's Island, said he's against more regulation on what kinds of trees can be cut down on private property."I have over 100 trees on my lot," Tedder said. "Why do you need to be coming and messing with me when I want to clear an area for a patio?"
The council's Land Management Committee will next consider the issue.
The above situation as always, has two sides. What remains agreed upon is that trees are what makes the Lowcountry unique and desirable.I love to sit in my sunroom and watch the squirrels scurrying up and down the tree trunks and limbs. The trees is what makes Hilton Head Island so special - that is for certain! Whether someone on private property has a right to do what they please depends on whether they are thinking for themselves or for the community although I too think strictness can be overdone!
Respectfully submitted,
SUSAN OCHSNER
http://www.yourhiltonheadagent.com
source: The Island Packet, March 3, 2009
