After almost 25 years, the city of Atlanta is set to make major changes to its long-standing tree protection rules as officials propose stricter legislation to preserve the city’s canopy.   

These increased measures come as advocates sound the alarm over the city’s tree canopy, which has been gradually decreasing in the face of development and rapid population growth.  According to studies completed by researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology, the city’s tree canopy decreased from 48% to 46.5% from 2008 to 2018, which equated to an estimated loss of nearly half an acre of canopy per day between 2008 and 2018. 

And with Atlanta, like most of the country, predicted to face increasing temperatures over time due to climate change, trees can act as a natural coolant to communities by providing shade and releasing moisture into the air. For Atlanta’s Black residents, who are disproportionately impacted by extreme urban heat compared to white residents, trees could be a lifeline. 

Earlier this month, Atlanta Department of City Planning officials unveiled their proposed changes to the Tree Protection Ordinance. The TPO establishes the permitting process for tree removal, fines for illegal tree cutting, and the tree planting and preservation requirements in the city.

Some of the updated rules being suggested by city officials would include increasing tree removal fees, prohibiting developers from clearcutting, and more. The proposed draft of the TPO is currently under review by the city’s Community Development and Human Services Committee. 

Of the changes being proposed, here are the top five rules residents should note: 

A new low-income senior assistance program

One of the changes to the TPO that is being recommended is adding in a program that would award $200,000 each year to a nonprofit organization to help low-income seniors with the removal of dead or fallen over trees and would work to plant new ones.

At a Community Development and Human Services committee meeting on Tuesday, James Williams, who said he’s a resident of Lakewood, said that although his community is overgrown with trees, he feels that the city hasn’t done enough to create inclusive measures to support senior residents who may be struggling with an overgrown or fallen tree. 

“I don’t see organizations helping us to better coexist with the trees,” said Williams. 

At the same meeting, proponents of the changes to the TPO suggested the assistance program could help address Williams’ concerns and recommended the city consider increasing the award budget to better meet the needs of the community. 

Increase to tree removal fines and fees  

The city is looking to increase the tree removal, or recompense, fees from $100 per tree plus $30 per tree-trunk-inch to $260 per tree-trunk-inch. 

At a working meeting conducted by the Department of City Planning and the City Council on May 1, the department’s commissioner, Jahnee Prince, said that the fees established in the 2001 ordinance don’t match the increased prices for planting new trees in 2025. 

“The increased recompense for planting trees is justified by the higher costs of planting in urban areas. We’re planting trees on sites that are encumbered by utilities and roads and other infrastructure,” said Prince.

City officials are also proposing to increase the fines for illegal tree removal from $60,000 per acre to $260,000 per acre.

Reduced removal fees for affordable housing 

As part of the proposed changes to the TPO, any developer creating affordable housing units for low-income residents could qualify for reduced tree removal fees or not have to pay any fees altogether.

The reduced fee will be based on the number of affordable housing units the project plans create. Developers that qualify for reduced fees will have to go through a verification process with the city to prove that their units are affordable. 

Black residents in the city face an increasing burden from high housing costs. According to the city’s 2024 homeless census, Black people represented 86% of the Atlanta residents living on the streets, in shelters, or in temporary housing. 

Ban on clearcutting

The city is proposing to prohibit the practice of clearcutting, which is a logging method where swaths of trees are cut down all at once. It’s a practice used by developers when clearing land for new projects. 

O. Money-Worthy, a resident of East Point and former longtime resident of Sylvan Hills, said part of his job as a regulatory specialist with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers includes approving permits for developers who want to conduct projects near wetlands. 

He said that over the years he’s seen an increase in clearcutting conducted in Atlanta. 

“Mass grading, which is pretty much clearcutting and disturbing the first 12 inches of soil, I’m seeing that everywhere,” said Money-Worthy. “We’re seeing a rapid decline in our canopy.”

Establishing a professional registration program

Another new addition to the TPO that’s being suggested is that arborists, foresters, landscape architects and tree companies that are planning to cut down trees or receive any tree-related permits must be registered with the city. 

The registration program will be free, and city officials say they are proposing this measure to create more accountability around illegal tree removals and incorrect site plans. Anyone who is registered with the city that is caught violating the new ordinance would face suspension from working in the city.