Alpharetta balances tree removal with development, preservation

By SHELBY ISRAEL shelby@appenmedia.com

ALPHARETTA, Ga. — Amid explosive growth over the past decade, the Alpharetta Department of Community Development manages tree removal permits, balancing development with preservation of the tree canopy.

“At some point, we do make up for all of the trees that are removed in the city, whether they’re planted on that property or another property or on city-owned property,” City Arborist David Shostak said. “So, it is a balancing act, and it is complicated sometimes, but like I said, our goal is to just make sure we maintain a canopy and have all those minimum code requirements met.”

Shostak said Alpharetta received 1,176 tree removal permit applications for residential and existing commercial properties in 2022. Of that number, 908 were issued.

To apply for a tree removal permit in Alpharetta, Shostak said applicants must complete an online form. Only the removal of dead trees on single-family detached properties and trees that pose an imminent danger do not require a permit, and he said the city does not charge a fee.

“We don’t want to put any barrier to someone being able to remove a tree, and we want to make it simple,” Shostak said. “We don’t want them to be like, ‘I’ve got to pay two grand to cut a tree down, and I’ve got to pay another $25 to the city.’ That doesn’t make sense, you know, for something like that when they’re fairly simple reviews.”

Applications can be marked incomplete, Shostak said, if an applicant does not provide sufficient information, but the only outright

See REMOVAL, Page 16