PRINCIPLE NO. 20 Conserve Trees & Native Vegetation
Conserve trees at each site by additional planting, clustering tree areas, and promoting the use of native plants.
Manage community open space, street rights-of-way, parking lot islands, and other landscaped areas to promote natural vegetation.
Notes:
Few communities require that trees and native vegetation be conserved during the development process. In fact, many local design codes promote the use of lawns instead of native vegetation. However, native trees, shrubs, and grasses are important contributors to the overall quality and viability of the environment. Therefore, existing codes should be revised to promote the preservation of trees and native vegetation. Some tools that can be used for tree conservation include forest conservation ordinances, open space development practices, planting of vegetation in street ROWs, clearing and grading restrictions that include preservation of trees and native vegetation, and the addition of vegetation to parking lot islands.