10-07-08: New Hanover limits tree cutting

WILMINGTON -- The New Hanover County commissioners brought out their green thumbs Monday, unanimously approving new rules to discourage clear-cutting trees and a resolution to encourage low-impact development techniques.

With the new clear-cutting rules, county officials could punish those who raze mature trees without a permit – and then later try to develop the land – by holding their projects in limbo for three to five years.

All development projects must follow rules governing the removal of significant trees, but land is often cleared of big trees before project plans are submitted.

The proposal comes later, allowing a developer to avoid tree regulations because the significant trees are already gone.

Now, anyone looking to remove protected trees will need a permit, said Chris O’Keefe, county planning director. If a developer submits plans for a cleared piece of land, and it’s determined by county officials that the land was cleared with a permit, then all development permits for the site would be denied for three years.

That punishment could extend to five years for someone who willfully violates the rule.

Residential lots smaller than an acre and land used for forestry would be exempt from the rule. The new rules don’t stop people from cutting trees to sell, they just require them to get a permit, leave a buffer and save significant trees. The plan also won’t change the existing development process.

County planners say clear-cutting has removed too many valuable trees from the county landscape.

The low-impact development manual is intended to encourage stormwater management techniques that use the natural functions of a site. Use of the new rules is optional, but encouraged, according to the resolution.

It’s a move away from traditional stormwater techniques such as retention ponds and storm drains, said Shawn Ralston, the county’s senior environmental planner. She explained that stormwater runoff is harming water quality, resulting in the closure of shell-fishing waters and an increase in swimming advisories.

Traditional stormwater systems would direct runoff down a parking lot covered with pollutants and into a storm drain, which channels into a water body, Ralston said. A “low-impact” plan could direct stormwater into retention areas covered with natural vegetation, a method that mimics the way undeveloped land deals with stormwater.

Members of the development community, environmental groups and county staff worked for the last year and a half to put together the manual, which explains how developers can use low-impact techniques in their projects.

Chris Mazzolini: 343-2223

chris.mazzolini@starnewsonline.com