Tree Canopy Action Plan 2.0

The City of Charlotte’s Planning Department’s staff has announced that they will be working on updating the Tree Canopy Action Plan to version 2.0 in 2025. The objective is to update tree canopy goals and policies and consolidate several older documents into one policy that supports the goals of the 2040 Comprehensive Plan. 

During the meeting, an important concern was raised regarding the audits conducted on 1,700 sites. Of these, 50% were found to be out of compliance and missing trees. This accounts for just over a quarter of all the plans reviewed by staff, suggesting that the actual number of non-compliant sites may be higher. While there are civil penalties in place, city staff must follow a specific process to enforce them. It is essential to review this process in the upcoming update to the Tree Canopy Action Plan.

Other tree-canopy-related updates presented to the Transportation, Planning and Development committee this week include the fact that 65% of canopy loss occurs in residential areas, contributing to the overall loss of .5% since 2018. Additionally, over 500 heritage trees were removed and more than 500 mitigation trees were planted to replace those that were removed. The city has also added 63 acres to the tree preservation program, bringing the total to more than 350 acres preserved since 2015. 

Here are more details shared at the recent meeting:

A new program, the Canopy Care Program, which helps residents care for the trees on their property, will become a full program in FY 2026 after several years as a pilot program. 

We will be working to participate in the Tree Canopy Action 2.0 as we have worked with staff on the first one.

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