Revising of Oak Tree Ordinance Postponed

At the request of Los Angeles County Supervisor Ed Edelman, the Board of Supervisors postponed consideration Tuesday of an amendment to the county’s oak tree ordinance that would give officials more control over how trees cleared for development are replaced.

The current ordinance requires developers to replace the oaks they cut down with saplings on a two-for-one basis, usually on a portion of the developed land. The amendment, proposed by county forestry and parks officials, would allow the establishment of a fund to enhance and maintain oak forests off site of the developments, including nine county parks.

Edelman said that he fully supports the idea of giving the county the option of requiring developers to pay into an oak forest fund when they remove trees. But he said he wanted to make sure that the forests that will benefit from the fund are near the denuded sites.