When trees are removed under a Franklin tree removal permit or as part of an approved development plan, the Zoning Ordinance § 17.2 imposes tree replacement standards that require new plantings on-site or, when on-site replacement is infeasible, a payment-in-lieu to the Tree Bank Fund administered by the Franklin Tree Commission. Replacement requirements scale to the size and number of trees removed and the tree-preservation plan submitted with development applications. The Tree Bank funds Arbor Day plantings, public-tree replacement, and community forestry projects.
Per Franklin Zoning Ordinance Chapter 17 § 17.2 (Tree Protection), development plans, site plans, and preliminary plats must include a tree preservation plan showing existing canopy and proposed removals, with replacement plantings calculated against the canopy-loss and DBH-loss standards. Replacement species must be drawn from the Tree Commission's Recommended Tree List, which favors native and adapted species. Where on-site replacement is not practical (e.g., already-built-out small lots, infrastructure conflicts), the developer may contribute a payment-in-lieu to the Tree Bank Fund. The Tree Commission's official duties include planning for the use of tree bank funds and charitable donations of trees or money, planning and holding an annual Arbor Day ceremony, maintenance of a recommended tree list, establishment of an official city tree, and preparation of a tree plan. Tree Bank dollars fund right-of-way plantings, replacement of failed street trees, Arbor Day school plantings, and community urban-forest projects. Replacement obligations attach to the property and survive transfer; failure to install required replacement plantings is enforceable as a Zoning Ordinance violation and can hold up final certificates of occupancy on development sites.
Failure to install required replacement plantings, failure to maintain replacement trees through an establishment period (typically two years), or failure to make a required Tree Bank Fund payment is enforceable by Building & Neighborhood Services through the Zoning Ordinance violation process, including potential withholding of final certificates of occupancy on development sites and direct enforcement on the property.
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