Guest speakers Bryan Hall of the Office of State Planning and Coordination, and Rehoboth building inspector Terri Sullivan talked about the value of trees and then took questions.

Hall discussed the state’s Big Tree Program, which promotes forest resources across the state emphasizing the value of trees.

Three factors make a big tree, Hall said: height, crown spread – the distance from the trunk to the branches’ ends – and girth. Trees in the Big Tree Program are scored and ranked on the basis of these three factors.

Hall showed several varieties of state champion big trees in Delaware, including oaks, beeches, hollies and dogwoods. He said pruning was the most effective means of tree care.

As for tree replacement, Hall said, the best methods are planting a similar tree, using cloned or genetic hybrids, planting in groups, replanting on site and planting a new tree before the old one fails.

Sullivan discussed Rehoboth’s tree ordinance and how it affects homeowners.

In 1988, the city passed an ordinance establishing a park and shade tree commission to oversee planting and maintenance of street trees. Eighteen years later, the city passed its comprehensive tree ordinance, which regulates the protection, planting and long-term management of trees.

Sullivan said property owners must maintain all the trees on their lot, and trees overhanging city rights of way must be pruned to not obscure streetlights or the view of an intersection.

Sullivan cited seven reasons for which homeowners may remove healthy trees, which include trees standing in the footprint of a proposed home, trees in public or utility rights of way, and trees located in an easement or in a location that creates a nuisance or hazard.

“If there is a tree that we can possibly save by rearranging the house, that’s what we shoot for. But sometimes that’s just not an option,” she said. Property owners can protest a denied tree permit by filing an appeal with the park and shade tree commission.

Hall said, “Every arborist looks at something differently; every building code inspector looks at something different based on their preference. So, any challenge we have in Rehoboth or any jurisdiction is ensuring consistency and review of any code.”