For many people, what distresses them about land development and growth is the loss of trees, and they equate more trees with more open space. Perhaps by preserving more trees on development sites, developers can satisfy some of the public’s clamor for open space. Tree experts and developers have worked together in recent years to develop better techniques for preserving trees on sites and for transplanting trees. And some local jurisdictions have adopted tree preservation requirements that developers must follow.

Unfortunately it is nor always possible or desirable to preserve the existing trees on a development site. Clearing a site for the building, constructing parking lots, installing utilities, and grading the site will obviously result in a loss of trees. Tree preservation is particularly difficult on smaller sites or higher density developments.  Likewise, not all trees are worth saving. Trees should not be saved if they will become problems to owners in the future through death or disease.

Available assistance from NAHB is as follows:

• Building With Trees Workshops. NAHB is cosponsoring a series of tree preservation workshops with the National Arbor Day Foundation. Developers, builders, landscape architects and planners have been attending and learning from tree experts. In many cases, local HBAs have acted as hosts and additional cosponsors to these workshops.
• Building With Trees Awards. NAHB and the National Arbor Day Foundation have begun a recognition program for builders and developers who pledge to follow certain procedures to save and plant trees on their development sites. The two groups will also give national awards to the best completed projects that exhibit exemplary tree preservation. The first award winners were announced in December 1998.
• Building Greener Neighborhoods book. NAHB has published an award-winning book that explains how to preserve trees on a site. The book was prepared jointly with the American Forests association.
• Tree ordinance information. NAHB staff has prepared a paper on tree preservation ordinances that describes the pitfalls to look for and try to change if your jurisdiction is preparing a tree ordinance. That paper is attached as part of this package. NAHB staff will also review proposed tree ordinances for HBAs to alert them to problems that may exist in the ordinance and suggest better approaches the ordinance could take.