At Large Candidate Rueben Dockery Speaks for the Trees…

QUESTION #1:

The Fort Negley clear-cutting and the NFL cherry-tree incidents illustrated something obvious: When it comes to the urban canopy, there is a breakdown of communication between the segments of Metro Government responsible for trees. The problem is that trees fall under the jurisdiction of many different departments (codes, stormwater, electrical, parks). What internal operational changes need to be made to better protect the existing canopy?

In my view there is clearly a communication problem relative to the city department (s) responsible for caring for trees around the city. Accordingly, an intentional effort to improve communication is needed from the council.

QUESTION #2

Do you support the city’s first tree bill in over a decade (BL2018-1416) in its current form? If not, what changes do you want to see? Or should it be stronger and broader in scope? BL1416 impacts only commercial and multi-family land use types. Do you support enacting tree laws for single-family residential?

While I am not fully versed in the matter of past and or present proposed changes to legislation related to trees in Nashville, as a member of the next Council I will collaborate with organizations such as the Nashville Tree Conservation Corporation.

QUESTION #3

Atlanta, Charlotte and Austin all have laws protecting a class of trees they consider to be “heritage trees; property owners must get approval for cutting them down and pay into a tree bank to offset the loss of a large trees in their communities. We feel this sets a tone that makes people more aware and respectful of the urban tree canopy. Do you approve of such legislation?

The legislation mentioned above sounds measured and reasonable. As a member of the Metro Council, I can support existing and or proposed legislation of this nature.

QUESTION #4

TREES ATLANTA is considered by many to be the model for a public/private cooperative that works to protect urban tree canopy. TREES ATLANTA employees even help the city as on-site inspectors who follow up to make sure developers have complied with tree ordinances. What do you think of this model, or what would you do to strengthen the implementation and enforcement of Nashville’s tree code?

I am not fully versed in the TRESS ATLANTA model, so at this point I cannot speak about its details. However when in the next Metro Council, I will give due diligence to the subject matter and work with advocates, city officials and the council to pass or sustain reasonable policy.

QUESTION #5

How could we entice private property owners not to cut down mature trees? How can we encourage developers/builders to keep mature trees in the designing of the home and lot?

Perhaps the best approach to encouraging property owners to preserve mature trees is to engage them in community dialogue and informational sessions.

QUESTION #6

Metro Nashville has just 3 employees to oversee all of Davidson County trees, while other peer cities with less tree canopy coverage have 15 to 20 employees on staff for trees. As a result, the Nashville Tree Conservation Corps has cataloged countless incidents where developers eluded complying with tree codes, the city has hundreds of hazardous trees that need to be replaced, and staff have trouble keeping up with just their everyday responsibilities. Do you support spending the money to bring us up to a par with our peer cities? If not, how will you fix this issue?

I am open to considering funding for this purpose in future budgets of the government.

BONUS QUESTION FOR COUNCIL CANDIDATES

QUESTION #7

How will you work to bridge the divisions we often experience when talking about advancing tree legislation in Nashville between the community-builder dynamic? How can we advance Nashville’s livability standards while avoiding the risk of State preemption?  

The council must work with the city’s legal department to properly forge legislation that can pass the litmus test of Tennessee Codes Annotated.