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November 19, 2004 <br /> <br />Dear Lois, <br /> <br />Lynchburg, Virginia has had a tree ordinance in their code for at least 25 years. It has <br />helped the city protect their street trees and has provided guidance to contractors, <br />developers and residents in maintaining consistency on public property throughout the <br />city. <br /> <br />Our city forester does not believe we have ever had to charge anyone for breaking any <br />part of the city ordinance. Once people are made aware of the requirements they have <br />been more than willing to make the changes as they can see the code is designed for the <br />interest of all. <br /> <br />If at any point the city feels that a particular section does not meet the needs of either <br />businesses or their citizens, that part can easily be amended. <br /> <br />Having a tree ordinance has an additional benefit as it will allow you to apply for Tree <br />City USA designation that has proved to be a good public relations tool in attracting <br />business to an area. It also commits future governments to place a high value on their <br />green infrastructure. <br /> <br />This year Lynchburg will have held Tree City USA status for the 23rd year, the second <br />longest designation in the state. We feel that it has been extremely valuable for the city to <br />hold this title and in fact it is written in our forester's job description that he or she obtain <br />it every year. <br /> <br />Marge Denham, Coordinator <br />Tree Stewards of Greater Lynchburg <br />434-384-9413 <br />fdenham @lynchburg.net <br /> <br /> <br />