The Decatur City Commission will consider a proposed tree conservation ordinance at its meeting Jan. 21 at 7:30 p.m. Residents can weigh in on Open City Hall until noon that day. Details about the tree proposal can be read at this link.

The 90-day tree removal moratorium in the City of Decatur, which the City Commission passed last October, expires on Jan. 24.

Major changes proposed in the ordinance include hiring a full time Arborist, switching to measuring tree canopy instead of tree density, setting a city-wide canopy coverage goal, creating one class of protected trees, defining boundary trees and establishing rules for their protection and requiring a permit for removal or disturbance of protected trees.

Collin Kelley is the executive editor of Atlanta Intown, Georgia Voice, and the Rough Draft newsletter. He has been a journalist for nearly four decades and is also an award-winning poet and novelist.