§ 18A-11. Landscape maintenance.

(A)

An owner is responsible to ensure that landscaping required to be planted pursuant to this chapter, or the ordinances which were in effect prior to the effective date of this chapter, is:

(1)

Installed in compliance with the Landscape requirements;

(2)

Maintained as to present a healthy, vigorous, and neat appearance free from refuse and debris; and

(3)

Sufficiently fertilized and watered to maintain the plant material in a healthy condition.

(B)

If any tree or plant dies which is being used to satisfy current landscape code requirements, such tree or plant shall be replaced with the same landscape material or an approved substitute.

(C)

Trees shall be pruned in the following manner:

(1)

All cuts shall be clean, flush and at junctions, laterals or crotches. All cuts shall be made as close as possible to the trunk or parent limb, without cutting into the branch collar or leaving a protruding stub.

(2)

Removal of dead wood, crossing branches, weak or insignificant branches, and sucker shall be accomplished simultaneously with any reduction in crown.

(3)

Cutting of lateral branches that results in the removal of more than one-third ( 1/3 ) of all branches on one (1) side of a tree shall only be allowed if required for hazard reduction or clearance pruning.

(4)

Lifting of branches or tree thinning shall be designed to distribute over half of the tree mass in the lower two-thirds ( 2/3 ) of the tree.

(5)

No more than one-third ( 1/3 ) of a tree's living canopy shall be removed within a one (1) year period.

(6)

Trees shall be pruned according to the current ANSI A300 Standards and the Landscape Manual.

(Ord. No. 95-222, § 2, 12-5-95; Ord. No. 98-13, § 1, 1-13-98)