Trees are about the only way we have to produce the oxygen we breathe and clean the air of some of the carbon dioxide
and pollutants we produce. Without them, we would all die.
Taking out large trees and replacing them with small trees tailor-made not to get in the way or drop leaves is not
enough. It would take about 20 new parking lots trees to replace the effect of losing one mature oak.
So we want to have more trees in our city, not just replace what we have taken out.
As there are now many more people, trucks, cars, concrete and asphalt than when this area was just a valley of grassland
with a small town, we need more big trees to absorb the impacts we make on the environment where we live.
We wish to stop property developers from clearing their land of trees before making planning applications for
their developments. We want to educate the public about the importance of trees and their care.
Our request is that the City Council extend the scope of the existing Chico tree ordinance to protect more trees and
bring into scope areas in the city’s sphere of influence, including those lands that may be subject to annexation in
the future.
Our
legal advice is that the City of Chico can legislate beyond their jurisdiction to do this, so we request that the city obtain
a legal opinion to validate our claim that they have jurisdiction over their sphere of influence and that actions taken prior
to application to develop land with the aim of avoiding the conditions that would be imposed by the tree ordinance shall be
in contravention of the ordinance. To achieve this, we propose some amendments to the existing ordinance.
