As development rises, Brunswick officials have a plan to better protect trees

As development continues across Brunswick County, county leaders could soon have more power to protect existing trees and regulate clearcutting.

After weeks of discussion and revisions, the Brunswick County Board of Commissioners adopted a resolution seeking special state legislation to allow the county to regulate clearcutting and better protect trees. If approved by the North Carolina General Assembly, the county would have limited authority to preserve trees and regulate clearcutting during the development process.

Here’s what to know.

What does the resolution ask?

The resolution asks the state to grant the county the authority to establish and enforce tree regulations in the county. Specifically, the county is making the request in hopes of being better able to protect heritage trees and clearcutting associated with new development.

Clearcutting is an extreme logging method which cuts and harvests natural forests and trees to clear land. When those trees are replaced, newly planted trees generally do not replicate the same natural, healthy ecosystems that once existed.

According to the North Carolina Forest Service, clearcutting can be a tool to manage and rejuvenate forests and stimulate new growth. However, when land is cleared and converted from forest to residential or commercial developments, those ecosystems never recover.

The resolution asks that the board be able to enforce preservation requirements for new developments on land over 25 acres, “when not part of forestry, timber, and agricultural activities.”

In the resolution, the board specifically asks that the authority, if it is granted, be limited and “narrow in scope to prevent abuse or over-use” by the board in the future.

What power does the board have now?

State law prevents the county from limiting clearcutting for timber, farming and forestry purposes. While the county’s Unified Development Ordinance outlines regulations for new developments, including a specific amount of open space per acre of development and a number of trees per recorded lot, the county cannot limit clearcutting when it comes to new development.

County staff said the only way to limit clearcutting associated with development would be to create and adopt a tree ordinance.

What could it mean for future development?

If the resolution is approved, the county would have the authority to add regulations and requirements for new development that would limit the removal of trees on the land that is being developed. For example, the county could limit clearcutting, require canopy retention, require tree removal permits and more to protect existing trees.

In the resolution, the commissioners expressed they hoped this move would allow them to “help mitigate growth impacts” in the county.

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The resolution – unanimously approved by the board at its April 1 meeting – is awaiting approval by the General Assembly.

Jamey Cross covers Brunswick County for the StarNews. Reach her at jbcross@gannett.com or message her on Twitter/X @jameybcross.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: How this move could lead to less clearcutting in Brunswick County, NC