Some residents say those trees should be restored to the protected list in the draft ordinance, which is to be a revision to the county’s land development code, while Planning and Zoning Board Chairman Thomas Ford says the article itself should get the ax.

Protected Tree List

In November, county staff removed the sycamore, loblolly bay, blackjack oak, turkey oak, Youpon holly and cherry laurel from the protected tree list and added the East Palatka holly, county Planning Director Walter Fufidio said. Fufidio said removing the sycamore from the list was the Planning and Zoning Board’s decision, not county staff’s.

Ford said he expressed his personal dislike for the tree’s leaves to the board, and Nassau County Master Gardener Beatrice Walker said she told Ford his personal position wasn’t the best way to make a decision.

Ford said he voted against passing the draft article because it doesn’t accomplish what the board was charged to do, which he said was to create an article making developers and land owners responsible for protecting trees.

Currently, a tree protection ordinance is in place, but covers only Amelia Island, protects only live oaks and magnolias and applies only to large-scale developments.