12.04.080 Street tree protection.
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A. All street trees that may be adversely impacted by any excavation, demolition, construction or utility work must be sufficiently guarded and protected by those responsible for such work to minimize potential injury to street trees. Any work which requires a city permit and which may adversely impact street trees requires approval by the City Forester. In order to protect street trees, the City Forester may require protective measures consistent with national arborist organizations standards.
B. No person may destroy, injure, or deface any street tree by any means, including, but not limited to, the following methods:
1. By impeding the free passage of water, air, or fertilizer to the roots of any street tree by depositing concrete, asphalt, plastic sheeting, or other material on the ground immediately surrounding any street tree;
2. By pouring any toxic material on any street tree or on the ground near any street tree;
3. By causing or encouraging any fire near or around any street tree;
4. By severely reducing a street tree’s crown by removing more than twenty-five percent of the tree’s foliage, except when pruning under utility wires or when eliminating obstructions of the right-of-way, as required by this chapter. Removal and replacement is preferred to severe crown reduction; or
5. By carving, attaching any sign, poster, notice, or other object, on any street tree, or by fastening any rope, wire, cable, nail, screw, staple or other device to any street tree, except as used to support a young or broken tree or as used to support heritage tree signage, where heritage trees are defined in VMC Title 20. Nothing in this section shall be construed in such a manner that forbids lighting of a decorative or seasonal nature, provided that such lighting is draped or wrapped around a street tree and maintained without causing permanent damage to the street tree; or
6. By using equipment that is not generally accepted by the tree care industry. (Ord. M-3766 §1, 2006)