For the purposes of interpreting this chapter, the following terms, phrases, words and their derivatives shall have the meanings given below:
(a) "Street trees" means trees, shrubs, bushes and all other woody vegetation on land within the City right of way of all streets, avenues or other public ways within the City.
(b) "Park trees" means trees, shrubs, bushes and all other woody vegetation in parks and other areas owned or leased by the City, to which the public has access.
(c) "Person" means any person, firm, partnership, trustee, association, corporation, company or organization of any kind.
(d) "Commission" means the City of Maumee Tree Commission.
(e) "City" means the City of Maumee, and its agents and employees.
(f) "Public place" means any street, park or other real property owned or leased by the City, or any area over which the City has an easement to maintain trees.
(g) "Director" means the Director of Public Service or his designee.
(h) "Topping" means severe cutting back of limbs to stubs larger than three inches in diameter within the tree crown to such a degree so as to remove the normal canopy and disfigure the tree.
(i) "Pollarding" means the practice of trimming a tree so that a number of small "clumps" or "fists" of branches and leaves are created by all growth starting at common points, and each new year's shoot and growth are removed to maintain the deformed shape.
(j) "Treating" means the practice of utilizing chemicals or other substances for the purpose of killing or removing pests, or preventing, relieving or curing diseases in a tree.
(k) "Structure area" means the area of construction for a building including a distance ten feet around the perimeter of the foundation.
(l) "Buffer" means an area established to separate different uses and/or zoning districts through the use of natural vegetation, trees, landscaped mounds, and fences.
(m) "Caliper" means the diameter in inches of trees measured at the height of six inches above the ground for trees of four inches in diameter and under, and measured twelve inches above the ground for trees over four inches in trunk diameter.
(n) "City Forester" means an employee in the Service Department of the City and qualified as a tree specialist.
(o) "Clearing" means cutting and/or removal of trees and vegetation from a site prior to construction regardless of timing.
(p) "Conifer" means a tree with needle leaves and woody cone fruit.
(q) "Deciduous" means a tree which sheds leaves in winter or fall.
(r) "Development Plan" means any site plan required by the Zoning Code to be submitted to the Municipal Planning Commission as part of an application for a zoning permit, including but not limited to special uses, conditional uses, planned unit developments, shopping centers of integrated design, plats, and subdivision permits.
(s) "Diameter at breast height (D.B.H.)" means the diameter in inches of a tree measured four and one-half feet above the existing grade.
(t) "Dripline" means a vertical line extending from the outermost portion of the tree branch tips down to the ground.
(u) "Evergreen" means trees which maintain their leaves year round including broad leaf and conifer evergreens.
(v) "Grubbing" means the effective removal of understory vegetation which does not remove any trees with a D.B.H. of four inches or greater.
(w) "Interior landscaping" means the use of landscaping within the innermost boundaries of the landscape buffer zone and the perimeter parking setbacks.
(x) "Perimeter landscaping" means the use of landscaping within the landscaped buffer area and the front, side, and rear yards in which no off-street parking is permitted.
(z) "Tree" means a self-supporting woody plant usually having a single trunk, which has the potential of a D.B.H. of at least two inches and a height of thirteen feet or more at maturity.
(aa) "Tree Preservation Plan" means a plan drawn at a scale of not less than 1" - 50' prepared by a landscape architect or tree forester identifying and locating all existing trees and clumps of trees eight inches or greater, trees to be removed, the method of preservation or protection, and all replacement or new trees to be planted.
(bb) "Tree removal permit" means an official City authorization by the Director of Public Service to commence or allow the clearing, cutting and/or removal of any tree of eight inches or more in D.B.H. that is regulated within this chapter, and not otherwise exempted in Section 966.16.
(cc) "Historic or special interest tree" means a tree which has been found by the Tree Commission to be of notable interest because of its type, age, size, location, or historic association.
(Ord. 145-1994. Passed 11-7-94.)
(dd) “Woodland” means an area which contains trees measuring at least eight D.B.H. and which has an overstory canopy supporting understory growth that extends continuously over a minimum of two acres. A single woodland may extend over one or more separate parcels of land and may include multiple parcels which are under separate ownerships.
(Ord. 16-1997. Passed 1-21-97.)