Stricter Tree Controls: What Do You Think?.

On Thursday, August 8th, at 6:00 PM, the James Island Planning Commission will consider changing the definition of grand tree to all trees other than pines, sweet gums, and Chinese tallow with diameter 18 inches or greater.  While the Planning Commission voted 4 to 1 to recommend no change to the grand tree definition at its May meeting, they must comment on the amendment passed by Council in June.   

I think the Planning Commission should recommend to Council a compromise:

Grand Tree  

Any tree other than pine and sweet gum measuring 24 inches or greater diameter breast height (DBH.)   

The 24 inch size is the same as Charleston County and so is what applied to our homeowners before the Town was formed.    The City of Charleston also has the same 24 inch size for grand tree, but excludes sweet gums as well as pines.   Sweet gums are "gumball trees."    The spiky gumballs are painful to step on and difficult to deal with.  Pine trees are included because of concern that they will fall onto houses in a Hurricane.

Rather than excluding Chinese tallow trees as part of the grand tree definition, I think the Planning Commission should add a separate sentence referring to trees that are exotic plant pests:

No tree species identified by the South Carolina Exotic Plant Pest Council as a Severe, Significant, Emerging, or Alert Threat will be included as a protected or grand tree.

What is on this list of exotic plant pest trees?   The list includes: Tree of Heaven, Chinaberry, Princess Tree, Chinese Tallow Tree, Mimosa, and Chinese Parasol Tree.

These trees are mostly from Asia and are spreading into the wild, replacing our native trees.   James Islanders will still be free to plant these trees and keep them in their yards, but the Town won't prohibit homeowners from removing them, or require them to pay fees or mitigation.   Rather than listing them all as exceptions to the definition of grand tree, a separate sentence applying to both grand and protected tree is more appropriate.

The Planning Commission has already recommended that the Town define protected trees as all trees with diameter greater than 8 inches.   The regulations are consistent with Charleston County and the City of Charleston and require that trees be kept or planted on new multifamily and commercial development.   These protected tree regulations do not apply to individual homeowners like the grand tree controls.

What do you think?  

Will you support my proposed compromise?  

Would you prefer that the grand tree definition remain unchanged-- all oak species with diameter 24 inches or greater?    

Or do you favor the stricter controls being pushed by Save Harbor View Road and Nix-526 such as requiring Town permission to cut or significantly prune any tree with diameter greater than 18 inches?

Please let the Town know.     You can attend the Planning Commission meeting on August 8th at 6:00 PM here at Town Hall and speak out.

If you would prefer, you can call Town Hall at 795-4141 and ask to give your views on tree control.   

Or send an email to treecontrols@jamesislandsc.us .   Write what you think, but also give your address, so we will know if you are a resident of the Town of James Island.

The Town will share the reesults with the Planning Commissioners and the members of Town Council.   

I urge you to call or email in support the Mayor's Compromise.     Thank you.