title
An ordinance amending Title 2 and Title 17 of the Metropolitan Code of Laws relative to trees (Proposal No. 2022Z-014TX-001).
body
WHEREAS, the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County's urban tree canopy is a utility that improves air quality, manages stormwater, supports public health, provides economic benefits, mitigates the heat island effect, and increases quality of life for Nashville's residents and visitors; and
WHEREAS, Nashville seeks to keep pace with neighboring and peer cities in protection of the urban canopy and green spaces for both quality of life and economic benefit; and
WHEREAS, Nashville's forests provide benefits including enhancing air and water quality, reducing storm surges, flood attenuation, moderating temperature, providing wildlife habitat, providing recreational opportunities, offsetting carbon emissions, promoting tourism and economic opportunity, and enhancing the beauty and livability of Nashville; and
WHEREAS, Nashville's forests are natural ecosystems that take hundreds of years to develop, the value of these forests depends upon the continuity of intact forested areas, and fragmentation of these forests into small isolated remnants undermines the benefits; and
WHEREAS, NashvilleNext, Metro's General Plan adopted in 2015, identifies protection of forest as a county-wide goal; and
WHEREAS, the NashvilleNext Volume II Natural Resources & Hazard Adaption plan NR Policy 1.4 states "create a street tree policy, residential tree ordinance, maintenance program, and preservation policy";
WHEREAS, the Metropolitan Nashville Urban Forestry and Landscape Master Plan Goal #1 is to update and implement landscape standards and "develop a landscape ordinance that includes tree protection for healthy mature existing trees"; and
WHEREAS, the Nashville Open Space Plan - Nashville Naturally, sets a goal of acquiring 6,000 acres of new public parks and green spaces, conserving 6,000 acres of privately protected land, and con...
Click here for full text