Chet
Cyburbian Emeritus
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Do you require developers to install street trees? Please share. 
Our code is wierd. We require them, but not in the right-of-way. They go in a 5' wide street tree easement that parallels the edge of right-of-way. The plat annotates that they are to be maintained by the home owner, and there are penalties for not replacing a dead tree, or for allowing a hazard tree to remain. So basically, the City Forester becomes a 'Tree Cop' instead of a maintenance worker.
We have approved species lists which do not include non-native species (the ever popular Norway Maple is prohibited!), and the list is divided into small, medium, large, and park-suitable (species of conifers, nut bearers, etc). Spacing requirements vary depending on size of species selected.
Here's my quandry: Our forester prefers species diversity to avoid mass die offs such as Dutch Elm or Oak Wilt. I agree, but have a differing opinion as to implementation. He prefers no more than 3-5 linear plantings to be the same species, then switch. I prefer one species on a block to provide a uniform canopy upon maturity, and alternate species block by block.
Comments? Thoughts? Experiences?
Our code is wierd. We require them, but not in the right-of-way. They go in a 5' wide street tree easement that parallels the edge of right-of-way. The plat annotates that they are to be maintained by the home owner, and there are penalties for not replacing a dead tree, or for allowing a hazard tree to remain. So basically, the City Forester becomes a 'Tree Cop' instead of a maintenance worker.
We have approved species lists which do not include non-native species (the ever popular Norway Maple is prohibited!), and the list is divided into small, medium, large, and park-suitable (species of conifers, nut bearers, etc). Spacing requirements vary depending on size of species selected.
Here's my quandry: Our forester prefers species diversity to avoid mass die offs such as Dutch Elm or Oak Wilt. I agree, but have a differing opinion as to implementation. He prefers no more than 3-5 linear plantings to be the same species, then switch. I prefer one species on a block to provide a uniform canopy upon maturity, and alternate species block by block.
Comments? Thoughts? Experiences?