Op-ed writer lauds council for getting it right on protecting city trees - Charlotte, NC

The sensible choice: Protecting city trees - CharlotteObserver.com:
Since 1985 Charlotte has lost half its tree canopy. That stark fact got short shrift Monday as the Charlotte City Council debated whether to adopt a revised, stronger tree ordinance. In the end, after more than an hour's discussion, the council did the sensible thing, adopting the ordinance 8-3. But that stunning tree loss was the underlying reason the city needed to tighten its tree protections.

The measure makes many welcome changes. Whether it goes far enough to prevent continuing canopy loss will be a question for the future. For instance, it applies only to commercial and multifamily development, amending an ordinance first adopted in 1978. Residential subdivisions didn't come under tree ordinance protections until 2002. Monday's changes generally don't apply to them.