Urban Forestry Committee (UFC)

Meeting

Meetings are generally held on the second Tuesday of each month at 1 p.m. in the conference room located between the Engineering and Transportation Departments on the second floor of the Municipal Building at 211 S. Hamilton St., High Point, NC 27260.

Staff

The UFC is a staff committee that has the responsibility to develop, adopt and maintain standards and practices for the conservation and maintenance of trees on city owned or controlled property. It is composed of designated representatives from several City departments that typically deal with trees:

• Planning and Development
• Public Services
• Electric Utilities
• Parks and Recreation

Guidelines and Standard Practices for Trees

The UFC created the Guidelines and Standard Practices for Trees (PDF) to help guide its decision making. The guidelines include provisions for the planting, maintenance, removal, and protection of trees located on property owned or leased by the City of High Point or property that the city controls through public rights-of-way and easements for public purposes. Private property owners are encouraged to use the tree guidelines whenever possible to ensure the health of trees on their property, thereby enhancing the city’s overall tree canopy. The guidelines also include information for use by City departments in their daily operations, such as the assessment of potential tree hazards, as well as the responsibilities and procedures of the Committee.

Responsibilities

One of the responsibilities of the UFC is to review Requests for Public Tree Certificates (PDF) on city owned or controlled property that are submitted by a person, group or organization. A decision on authorizing the tree related activity will be made by consensus at one of the monthly meetings, unless a continuation is warranted due to the need for additional information. Applicants will be notified of the meeting date, time and location and are encouraged to attend in order to aid the review and decision-making process. The applicant will be notified in writing of the Urban Forestry Committee’s decision and the reasons for approval or denial. Any decision of the Urban Forestry Committee may be appealed to the Board of Adjustment. Persons or groups that plant, maintain or remove trees on city owned or controlled property without prior authorization, or engage in prohibited tree related activities outlined in the Development Ordinance, may be subject to civil penalties.
 
For more information about Urban Forestry, please contact Andy Piper at (336) 883-3328.