City of Lakewood social media post.
New tree code regulations take effect March 1. Have questions? Visit CityofLakewood.Us/Trees to see if you need permit to remove trees from your property. (Hint: If your property is larger than 10,000 sq ft, or you have a significant tree, the answer is probably yes.)
The vast majority of trees in Lakewood now exist on private residential property. Instead of adding regulations for the property owners that are providing trees, why not require more from commercial, industrial, and multi-family properties? Lakewood commercial, industrial, and multi-family properties often have huge expanses with little or no trees. This is not just old existing properties, even newly built ones often have almost no landscaping. If the purpose of this new tree code is to provide trees, I believe it fails to do so. If the purpose is to add still more regulation to privately owned property, it succeeds.
For the tree advocates who lobbied the City to do something about our vanishing tree canopy, our primary concern was the destruction of our threatened Garry Oak savannah around Lakewood, due to development and neglect. Mr Block, you can’t just plant Garry Oaks; they take centuries to grow to a mature size. They are habitat for scores of animals, water conservers, and thus, drought tolerant. I am not a tree hugger, but I grew up in a Lakewood with a nurturing cover of healthy trees. I also believe in property owners’ rights, and I hope that the new Tree Code will help Lakewood citizens find more guidance in their landscape-planning. I do agree with you on strict tree mitigations for Developers to follow.