Secondary and Cumulative Impacts Master Management Plan - 2014

Article 5: Development Standards Section 5.4. Tree Protection 5.4.8. Mitigation for Tree Removal or Damage

the flexibility needed to accommodate compliance with the canopy tree retention standard and specimen tree preservation requirement as well as other applicable regulations. Replacement Trees Required a. Each existing non-specimen tree with a DBH of ten inches or more that is removed pursuant to a waiver or partial waiver of the minimum existing tree canopy retention standard shall be replaced with one or more trees with a minimum caliper of two inches each and a cumulative caliper equal to or greater than one and on-half times the DBH of the removed tree. 305 b. Each existing specimen tree that is removed pursuant to a waiver or partial waiver of the specimen tree preservation requirement shall be replaced with one or more specimen trees with a minimum caliper of five inches each and a cumulative caliper equal to or greater than two times the DBH of the removed tree. 306 c. Required replacement tree(s) shall be planted and maintained in accordance with the planting standards in Section 5.12.3, General Landscaping Standards, and shall comply with the standards in subsection C below. B. Tree Damage During Development 307 1. If a specimen tree or other existing tree to be preserved under the tree protection plan is damaged during development of the development site, an ISA-certified arborist or registered forester retained by the Town, at the expense of the applicant, shall assess the damage and provide a written report to the Planning Director that documents the following: 3. b. Determination on whether corrective measures can be taken to save the tree or whether the tree has been damaged beyond repair; and c. Any corrective measures recommended to ensure the tree‘s survival (e.g., pruning damage to tree canopy, root pruning, fertilization, soil enhancements for damage to tree roots, and application of irrigation to compensate for root loss). 2. If the ISA-certified arborist or registered forester determines that the tree can survive with corrective measures, the applicant shall promptly have recommended corrective actions undertaken by an ISA-certified arborist. 3. If the ISA-certified arborist or registered forester determines that a tree has been damaged beyond repair, the tree shall be replaced with one or more trees that shall comply with the standards in subsection C below and the following standards: a. Each non-specimen tree damaged beyond repair shall be replaced with one or more trees with a minimum caliper of two inches each and a cumulative caliper equal to or greater than one and on-half times the DBH of the removed tree. b. Each specimen tree damaged beyond repair shall be replaced with one or more specimen trees with a minimum caliper of five inches each and a cumulative caliper equal to or greater than two times the DBH of the removed tree. a. Severity of the tree damage;

305 The tree survey requires an estimate of the number of trees in a stand of trees and the proposed size threshold should make it relatively easy to identify the number of removed trees. The proposed replacement tree standards require full replacement in terms of total DBH, but recognizing that nurseries generally stock only smaller young trees, allow one mature removed tree to be replaced with multiple young trees of a set minimum size. 306 As further incentive for developers to explore all alternatives before removing a specimen tree, this provision doubles the general replacement tree requirement and substantially increases the minimum size of replacement tree required. 307 This carries forward the tree damage provisions in Section 8.2 and part of Section 8.3 of the Town staff‘s draft tree protection regulations.

Morrisville, NC

June 2013 Page 5-11

Unified Development Ordinance - Public Hearing Draft