(A) (1) No person shall prevent, delay or interfere with the City Forester or his or her assistants in the execution or enforcement of this section.
(2) However, nothing herein shall be construed as an attempt to prevent a public hearing on the permit or any remedy legal or equitable in any court of competent jurisdiction for the protection of property rights by the owner of any property within the city.
(B) No person shall willfully injure or destroy any tree on the city tree planting strips, public parks or other public property of the city by any means, including, but not limited to, the following:
(1) Knowingly withholding water;
(2) Constructing a concrete, asphalt, brick or gravel sidewalk or otherwise filling up the ground area around any tree so as to shut off air, light or water from the roots, except under written authority from the City Council;
(3) Piling building material, equipment or other substance around any tree so as to cause injury;
(4) Pouring any injurious matter on or around any tree, or on the ground around it or on any lawn or sidewalk; and/or
(5) Injuring any tree, tree-stake or guard with any vehicle or animal, or in any other manner causing injury to any tree or lawn on public property.
(C) Tree-stakes or guards may be placed around trees by property owners; provided, the same are placed near a tree for the purpose of protecting or training such trees.
(D) The City Forester shall determine when any tree roots or limbs originating on private property are interfering with the city sidewalks or property and serve notice by mailing to the owners or party occupying such premises to either remove such tree or trim the roots of any tree in order to protect the city sidewalks from damage.
(Prior Code, § 24.01.050) (Ord. 22-03, passed 3-3-2022) Penalty, see § 153.999