COASTAL OBSERVER

A plan to raise the penalties for cutting trees protected by Georgetown County ordinance drew praise at a public hearing, with one caveat: the ordinance doesn’t go far enough.

“What would it hurt to protect 10-inch pine trees,” asked Snipe Allen, a Heritage Plantation resident who has a degree in forest science.

Pines aren’t on the list of protected species in the ordinance. Neither are palmettos, gums and a few other ornamental species. But the others can’t be cut without a permit on the Waccamaw Neck if their trunk diameter is 10 inches or greater.

The current penalty for removing or damaging those trees is $500 each. The Planning Commission last week recommended that be changed to $500 for each inch of trunk width. The county would also withhold permits for development on the property for two years. Mitigation would be required, as in the current ordinance.

“To say I am excited to be here on this particular topic is an understatement,” said Amy Armstrong, executive director of the S.C. Environmental Law Project.  

It’s the fourth change to the ordinance she has seen. But it still comes up short by exempting occupied single-family homes unless the tree is 24 inches or greater in diameter, Armstrong said.

Others who said they have watched large trees come down at private homes agreed.

A Champion Oak at a home in Georgetown shows the benefits of stewardship.

“That was done as a private property rights issue,” said Holly Richardson, the county planning director, who added that it was also thought people would see the value in trees of that size.

Tom Martin, a North Litchfield resident, suggested the county create a hot line to report illegal cutting and provide a way to give planning staff more leverage in getting developers to design around protected trees.

He reported a 42-inch oak that was cut without a permit at North Litchfield, which prompted the county to revise the ordinance.

“I’m so happy to be down here five weeks later to see this tree amendment,” he said.

“We try to continually close loopholes and make it better,” Richardson said. “That penalty is not large enough to serve as a deterrent.”

In addition to raising the fee, the ordinance will measure the size of the tree closer to the ground, where a stump might be all that remains.

“I truly hope you never have to collect that fine,” Allen said.

William Cooper, a Pawleys Island resident, said the county needs to educate people about the rules.

“I’d like to see the trees remain and have fewer $5,000 fines,” he said.

Commission member Marla Hamby agreed that pines ought to be protected.

“The subject of pine trees comes up all the time,” she said. “Pine trees are not all bad.”

Longleaf pines, once a major feature of the Southeastern landscape, used to be on the protected list, Richardson said. They were removed out of concern – valid or invalid – that pines would come down during a storm.

The commission voted 6-0 to recommend that County Council approve the changes. The members said they would leave it up to the council to address protections for pines and for trees at occupied single-family homes.

The commission also endorsed a staff plan to tighten regulations for self-storage facilities along Highway 17 on Waccamaw Neck.

Those included wider landscape buffers and a 40-foot limit on the size of a building facing the highway. Facades on the highway would be required to have a porch, canopy or similar design feature.

Richardson said there continues to be demand for the facilities along with objections from residents about how they look.

“Can you make the changes fast?” said Elizabeth Krauss, who chairs the commission.