SB2531 - Conservation Housing Development Act

• Creates the Conservation Housing Development Act requiring persons constructing new housing developments with 5 or more structures per 5 acres to obtain Department of Natural Resources approval before removing trees.

• Permits tree removal only if trees are diseased, pest-infested, severely damaged by natural causes, beneficial to remove under good forestry practice, or designated for removal in an approved tree preservation plan.

• Requires tree preservation plans prepared by registered arborists or landscape architects submitted with applications, detailing location, species, size, condition of existing trees and methods for preservation.

• Establishes tree protection standards protecting deciduous trees with trunks 6 inches or greater in diameter and evergreen trees 10 feet or taller from removal without written approval.

• Mandates replacement of destroyed or damaged preserved trees at 3 inches caliper per 1 inch removed for deciduous trees and 3 vertical feet per 1 foot removed for coniferous trees, with minimum replacement tree sizes specified.

• Becomes effective January 1, 2020.