Countywide : Panel Seeks Changes in Tree Ordinance

Ventura County’s proposed tree protection ordinance has gotten a scathing review by a citizens committee that advises the Board of Supervisors on planning issues in western Ojai Valley.

The proposed ordinance was written by county planners at the suggestion of environmentalists concerned about protecting trees.

The Ventura River Valley Municipal Advisory Council voted 5 to 0 against endorsing the proposed ordinance and suggested it be amended.

“It doesn’t attack the real problem of runaway development,” advisory council member Gary Orthuber said.

Marsha Campiglio of the county’s Resource Management Agency said she welcomed the feedback because the ordinance is still being drafted.

As written, the law would more closely regulate the trimming and removal of oak, sycamore and very large or historic trees in the county’s rural and urban zones.

It would not apply to land in the coastal zone or any acreage designated for agricultural use, open space or timber preserve.

Council members said the ordinance is too restrictive for homeowners and too lax for large developers.

Permits costing as much as $600, and penalties that make it a misdemeanor to violate the ordinance may be excessive, Orthuber said.

The council also said the county should provide arborists free of charge if homeowners are required to submit reports before trimming or cutting protected trees.

The panel also said the ordinance should include a clause requiring developers to wait five years before building on land where they have removed more than three trees with girths of at least 10 inches. The purpose of the clause would be to discourage the removal of mature trees on agricultural land or other open areas.

County planner John Bencomo said similar laws requiring a 10-year lag time are in effect in Northern California.

The supervisors will consider the tree protection ordinance after the Planning Commission holds a public workshop in July.