STRONGER POLICIES ON TREES
One of the most significant actions recommended in the UFMP is to improve regulations to protect and preserve trees in Columbus. The City has been is moving forward on working to improve these regulations over the past few years, passing a Public Tree Code regulation, which included a technical manual that serves to aid users in compliance with that code.
A revised technical manual is now available and public comments were accepted until July 31, 2025.
A revised technical manual is now available and public comments were accepted until July 31, 2025.
Tree Technical Manual Revisions
A revised version of the Columbus Tree Technical Manual is now available. Overall, this includes the following changes:
- Better definition for a natural resource professional (Definitions).
- Including trees in permanent planters in the right-of-way as Public Trees (Section 1).
- Edits to treatment of the Tree Protection Zone (TPZ) (Section 2 and Section 6.1).
- Creation of a section on annual permit requirements for emergency and routine maintenance (Section 3.3).
- Edits for working outside the Forestry Permit scope (Section 3.4).
- Expanding use of public tree plans to encompass public trees with Critical Root Zones (CRZ) in work limits (Section 4).
- Explanations on when use tree tags vs Tree ID (Section 4.2 and 4.3).
- Adjusted proposed tree data table to include inspection fees (Section 4.2c).
- Additional detail on the methods to assess mitigation rates for:
- any deductions to mitigation must be determined by Forestry. (Section 5.4)
- any sized tree in a maintained, landscaped area must be mitigated. (Section 5.4a)
- additional information is required from natural resource professional in order to get the dead, dying, or hazardous designation (Section 5.4e) - Clarified large-scale project mitigation changes, including: (Section 5.4b)
- revisions to the natural resources professional's role in inventory
- elimination of saw timber methodology
- detailed inventory requirements. - Required that volunteer trees must be inventoried (Section 5.4f).
- Removed mitigation for annual permits because annual permits do not allow for tree removals (Section 5.4h).
- Specified information for mitigation credits must be received no later than 18 months after planting (Section 5.4i).
- Expanded options for tree protection fencing materials (6.1b).
- Revised tunnel diameter for boring to maximum 12" diameter (6.1b).
- Added site restoration option to include restoration for soil compaction (Section 6.1c).
- Provided additional detail on trunk guard standards (Section 7.9).
- Improved pruning diagrams for ease of comprehension (Figures 11 and 12 in Section 8).
- Required qualified personnel for tree removal when they are adjacent to infrastructure or of a certain size (Section 9.1).
- Removed golden raintree and hedge maples from the recommended street tree list (Appendix B).
