Ivy Lyons | ilyons@wtop.com
In Prince George’s County, Maryland, the city of College Park has a tree protection ordinance that could cost uncertified tree cutters up to $1,000.
The ordinance, first reported by the Hyattsville Wire, attempts to combat the loss of trees in urban forests.
Urban forest trees include trees in the public rights-of-way, on city property, trees more than a foot in diameter and four and a half feet tall and heritage trees.
Anyone looking to cut down an urban forest tree has to plant a replacement tree or pay the Urban Tree Protection Fund fee. Those fees could range from $250 to $1000, with $500 penalties for pruning trees and installing replacement trees.
For those looking to plant some trees and avoid some fees, several jurisdictions offer rebates for planting shade trees and native trees in the area.
Ivy Lyons is a digital journalist for WTOP.com. Since 2018, they have worked on Capitol Hill, at NBC News in Washington, and with WJLA in Washington.
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