§ 58-282. Definitions.

For the purposes of this division, certain terms or words used herein shall be interpreted as follows:

Caliper shall mean a nursery standard measurement of a tree's trunk diameter as measured at a predetermined point of measurement. Trunk caliper for trees up to four inches shall be measured six inches above the soil line. Trees greater than four inches in caliper shall be measured 12 inches above the soil line. Caliper measurements shall be used when measuring replacement trees.

Canopy coverage shall mean the coverage of a tree, by its limbs and leaves, of the ground below. This area may include trees offsite on adjacent properties or city public right-of-way where limbs and portions of a tree's canopy overhang onto the subject property.

City: shall refer to the parks and recreation department and building and code enforcement department.

DBH (Diameter at breast height) shall mean a standard measurement of a tree trunk diameter as measured at a predetermined point of measurement. Trunks of existing trees shall be measured at dbh, 4½ feet above the soil line. For multi-trunked trees the dbh shall mean the cumulative diameter of the two largest trunks.

Dead or beyond recovery shall mean more than 50 percent of the tree is dead, is a hazardous tree as defined herein, or in a state of irrecoverable decline.

Deteriorated tree or deterioration shall mean a tree which is degenerated or damaged by a biological pathogen or pest to the point of the death of the tree is imminent.

Drip-line shall mean a vertical line from the horizontal extremity of the canopy of a tree to the ground. For trees with canopies set off-center, the drip-line will be projected based on the average diameter of the existing drip-line using the tree trunk as its point of origin.

Exempt trees are trees that do not require a permit for removal (see list in subsection 58-284(a). Exempt trees may not be used to calculate required canopy and may not be used as replacement trees.

Hazardous tree: A tree irreparably diseased or presents a danger of falling that cannot be controlled or remedied through reasonable preservation and/or preventative procedures and pesticides such that the public health or safety requires its removal.

Major root is any root that is one-fifth or larger than the size of a tree's trunk measured at dbh.

Protected tree shall mean any self-supporting woody or fibrous perennial plant of a species that normally grows to a mature height of 25 feet or greater and has a tree trunk dbh of nine inches or greater and is not an exempt tree. The term "protected tree" shall also apply to any replacement tree, any non-exempt tree that is represented in a planning document for the purposes of securing an approved building or demolition permit and all trees on city property.

Pruning shall mean removing or reducing tree limbs to benefit the overall health and safety of a tree. Pruning shall be done according to current standards established by the National Arborists Association (NAA), the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA), and the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) A-300.

R-1 and R-2 refer to Land Development Code, see sections 58-66 and 58-67.

Removal of a tree shall mean either actually removing a tree from the ground which it grew, transplanting a tree, or effectively removing a tree through damage to the trunk, topping, damaging, or removing major limbs, roots, or enough canopy volume so that the tree dies, declines beyond recovery, or becomes a hazard to public safety and must be removed.

Replacement tree shall mean any tree planted as a condition of approval of a tree removal permit or as may be required to meet the conditions of this division.

Right-of-way: shall mean land in which the city owns the fee or has an easement devoted to or required for use as a transportation facility or street.

Root zone shall mean the area starting from a tree's trunk to equal to a minimum distance of 2.5 a tree's drip-line.

Shade tree is a tree that typically reaches a height of over 25 feet and has an average dbh of nine inches or larger (see section 58-288).

Size shall mean as determined by a tree's dbh or caliper as defined in this section.

Stop work order shall mean a notice stating the reason(s) for stopping work, in writing, given to the owner of the property, or to his agent, or to the person doing the work, or a notice posted at the property upon which tree work is being performed requiring that all work cease.

Topping shall mean the removal of 25 percent or more of a tree's canopy.

Tree banking is the planting of replacement tree(s) prior to the removal of a specific protected tree(s) (see section 58-291).

Tree protection area shall mean an area surrounding a tree encompassed by a tree's drip-line or projected drip-line.

Tree protection barrier shall mean a suitable structure as installed as close as possible to the perimeter of the tree protection area prior to construction, land clearing, or demolition (see section 58-292).

Trunk root flare is the swelling at the base of a tree trunk that increases the trunk diameter.

Understory tree is a tree that typically does not reach a height above 25 feet and is shown on the list of understory trees.

(Ord. No. 2724-07, § 1, 10-8-07; Ord. No. 2895-12, § 1, 11-26-12)