ATLANTA — The Atlanta City Council unanimously approved a proposal to overhaul the city’s tree ordinance.
The ordinance will increase the cost of removing trees from $130 to $140.
Fines for illegal tree removal could reach up to $200,000.
But some say more needs to be done to protect Atlanta’s tree canopy.
“The meat and potatoes of what we’re missing is a tree preservation standard for single-family residential developments,” Naturalist Kathryn Kolb said.
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Tree service companies also must register with the city to improve accountability.
When it comes to Atlanta’s famous trees, a study from Georgia Tech found the city’s canopy coverage dropped from nearly 48% in 2008 to nearly 47% in 2018.
As of 2020, researchers said the loss is due to new construction.
While all of the areas and developments have replanted the trees as required by the city, researchers said the trees planted were not of the same type or quality.
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