Bigger fines for lopping down trees in Naperville?

In a world where everything has a price, what's the value of a tree that's accidentally cut down?

That's a question the Naperville City Council is pondering after the developer of a small subdivision of duplexes mistakenly chopped down nine trees that were meant to be preserved.

The city charges a fine when trees marked for preservation are cut down, but council member Patty Gustin suggested the fine be increased to help prevent future losses of mature trees - the type that give an area shade, color and character.

Gustin said she spoke with neighbors near the future subdivision, Park's Edge on Plank Road west of Seager Park, after she learned the trees were cut down contrary to landscape plans.

"The neighbors were obviously very concerned because it changed the character of their community even though the tree removal was an accidental issue for the developer," Gustin said.

The fine for each tree removed without authorization now stands at $500, and developers must plant enough new small trees to make up for the size of the mature tree that was lost, said Bill Novack, director of transportation, engineering and development.

Established trees provide benefits to water quality, pollution control and property values, but their value can't immediately be replaced, said Lydia Scott, director of the Chicago Region Tree Initiative at the Morton Arboretum.

"Trees don't survive as well when they're planted at a larger size," Scott said.

In the case of Park's Edge, the nine trees that were removed require 55 small trees to be planted - more than will fit on the site that will contain five duplex buildings for a total of 10 homes. Many of the new trees instead will be planted in the adjacent Springhill subdivision.

"We try to get them nearby so that the people that lost them in that area can take advantage of seeing them in parkways or other spots where trees could be better grown," Novack said.

Epeius, Inc., a Wheaton-based real estate investment, development and architectural services company that's building Park's Edge, is following all of Naperville's policies in planting new trees and paying the $500 fine for each removed tree. But Gustin said she wonders if increasing the fine would make developers more careful not to cut down trees in the first place.

Council member John Krummen suggested using research from an organization such as the Arbor Day Foundation to determine the value of different trees and charge fines accordingly.

"A tree is an asset. And if it's an asset, is there a way to value it?" Krummen said.

City employees will research what fines other communities charge for accidentally removed trees and prepare a report for the council at a later meeting.

Scott said some communities charge heftier fines for removing native species, such as oaks, hickories or hackberries, than they do for invasive or fast-growing trees such as box elders or Siberian elms.

"Across the board, trees are part of the critical infrastructure within a community," she said. "In many cases, trees are oftentimes the green infrastructure that communities try to have some control over on public land where they're trying preserve and protect the aesthetics."