You say diameter, I say cirumference - you say private, I say public - let's call the tree bill off; Sonoma, CA

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Council cool to tree law
By David Bolling
INDEX-TRIBUNE EDITOR
Mon, July 6, 7:09 PM

A proposed city ordinance to regulate removal of trees on private property got a chilly reception from Sonoma City Council members on July 1, and was postponed for further consideration until vacationing Councilmember Joanne Sanders returns.

The idea of an expanded tree ordinance was originally sent to the city's Community Services and Environment Commission (CSEC) last year to develop language and rules governing the removal of trees on single-family lots or in family-yard areas. The rationale for the request was, according to the staff report, that 'careless treatment and arbitrary removal of trees detracts from scenic beauty, causes erosion, increases risks of landslides, reduces property values, increases construction costs and drainage costs, and thereby further reduces the attractiveness of an area. According to the report, 'A purpose of the City Council acting under the authority of its power to protect the health, welfare and safety of its citizens in enacting the following regulations is to protect certain trees, and to promote the concept of tree protection, but to keep governmental regulation to a minimum as far as practicable.'