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Ordinances reflect the values of a community, the values its residents believe are worth protecting to maintain their quality of life and an environment that is both safe and pleasant. A community's trees, often called the "urban forest," are very much the kind of community asset that deserves to be protected and managed for the common good. A tree ordinance encourages beautification, air cooling and purification, noise abatement, property value enhancement and the other attributes of trees within a city. It also enables citizens to prevent and control the spread of diseases, to preserve trees in the path of development, and to avoid unnecessary costs associated with sewer clogging, sidewalk replacement and tree -related accidents. An ordinance may also give force and direction to professional tree care within the municipality's work force and helps control unscrupulous or careless operators. Ordinances vary in length and complexity, but the key to effectiveness is to write the ordinance simply, clearly and tailored to the needs of your community. In the end, a tree ordinance is just another tool for proper tree care. Like any tool, it needs to be of high quality, matched properly to the job, and used with skill and care. T e Searcli. for a For several decades, citizens who want better tree protection in their communities have searched for "model" ordinances to guide the way. The ordinance sections and their descriptions found in this Bulletin are based largely on just such a model ordinance developed by Philip J. Hoefer of the Colorado State Forest Service. They are condensed from Municipal Tree Ordinance Manual, a publication of the International Society of Arboriculture and currently out of print. An important point made by Hoefer is that in addition to an ordinance, there should be an appended "standards and specifications" document. This presents detailed guidelines for arboricultural practices such as planting and pruning, tree care, removal, landscaping, contracting and similar activities that are important in any commu- nity forestry program. It is recommended that the standards and specifications section be a separate but companion part of a municipal ordinance. This is because including such a large amount of detail directly in the ordinance itself is cumbersome and difficult to change. For greater flexibility it is better to keep the ordinance brief, but to authorize the desig- nated forestry body (board, commission or department) to promulgate rules, regulations, standards and specifica- tions. These can be published separately and revised as necessary, but still be subject to final approval by the city council or other elected officials. Importantly, each community has different circum- stances that need to be addressed in an ordinance and its accompanying standards and specifications. Use the model ordinance sections in this Bulletin and the ordi- nances of other communities as starting points for developing your own ordinance or to revise one that is not trtinance working well, but add or delete sections to match the unique needs and circumstances of your community. Be sure to search your own city codes for any references to trees that may already exist. Finally, use the services of an attorney to review or help write all drafts to assure that your final product is legally sound as well as benefi- cial to the future of your community's trees. To locate sample ordinance provisions, type "sample tree ordinances" into your favorite search engine or "ordinances" into the search feature on the following sites: • www.isa-arbor.comIhome.asp • www.treelink.org A workable ordinance should be short. Detailed performance standards and specifications are best placed in a separate document. 2 • TREE CITY USA BULLETIN No. 9 • National Arbor Day Foundation