As of: March 8, 2024, 7:00 a.m
By: Carl Christian Eick
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According to the Federal Nature Conservation Act, every city and every municipality can issue a tree protection ordinance.
© Tobias Hase/dpa
Once again, the topic of tree protection regulations was on the agenda of the Wolfratshausen building committee.
Once again, the committee rejected the application with a clear majority.
Wolfratshausen – “This has been an issue many times,” said town hall boss Klaus Heilinglechner (BVW) on Wednesday evening at the building committee meeting: the tree protection ordinance.
This doesn't exist in Loisachstadt, but the most recent citizens' meeting proposed that Wolfratshausen receive a tree protection ordinance - "based on the model of the city of Geretsried".
At 6:58 p.m. the mayor called the meeting point in the building committee meeting, and the decision was made at 7:16 p.m.
With a vote of 3:7, the expert committee once again rejected the issue of a protective ordinance.
In the 18 minutes beforehand, the citizen representatives exchanged – once again – well-known arguments.
“Then many, many spruce mopeds will be unpacked”: citizens’ proposal fails the city council
The city council's environmental officer, Dr.
Hans Schmidt (Greens) referred to the climate emergency that the city council declared in 2019.
For Schmidt, the obligation “that we have to take care of a better microclimate” means, among other things, protecting “old, large trees” from being felled.
The common practice in Wolfratshausen of achieving this through appropriate specifications in development plans was and is not effective in the eyes of the environmental officer.
“We should handle it like Geretsried,” demanded Schmidt.
In her written statement on the application, Annalena Beischl, an employee in the town hall's Planning and Environment Department, explained: "After the Tree Protection Ordinance comes into force, anyone who wants to cut down or severely prune a protected tree must submit a corresponding application to the municipality."
A statute or regulation is not a sensitization, but the citizen is told clearly: 'You have to do this and that.'
Deputy Mayor Günther Eibl (CSU)
Geretsried handles the tree protection ordinance, which was introduced in 2013 and last revised in 2023, “quite loosely,” said Mayor Heilinglechner.
As examples, he cited the felling of trees in connection with the construction of the inter-communal indoor swimming pool and the adjacent parking garage.
The town hall boss once again admitted that he was “not a supporter” of a tree protection ordinance.
Not least in view of the fact that many property owners would cut down trees as a preventative measure as soon as they heard of an impending ban.
The adoption of tree protection regulations in other municipalities has shown exactly this, agreed Vice Mayor Günther Eibl (CSU) Heilinglechner.
“When this is in progress, many, many spruce mopeds will be unpacked.” Especially since, as environmental officer Schmidt had previously emphasized, it is not about “raising awareness” among citizens.
Eibl: “A statute or regulation is not a sensitization, but the citizen is told clearly: 'You have to do this and that.'” In short: “Statute?
No thanks!"
Tree protection regulations “demonstrably do not work in Geretsried”
The requested regulation was also rejected by the parliamentary group leader of the citizens' association, Josef Praller.
He shares the environmental officer's intention of “wanting to raise public awareness”.
However, not through “a new ordinance or statute that is demonstrably not working in the neighboring city.”
In contrast, in Praller's opinion, tree protection in Loisachstadt "works well" due to legally binding development plan requirements.
Objection from Green City Councilor Schmidt: An ordinance could also protect trees that are “in areas without development plans”.
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Once again, the majority of the committee rejects the adoption of a tree protection ordinance
Ingrid Schnaller (SPD) said that she lacks evidence for the statement that in the municipalities that are thinking loudly about a tree protection ordinance, a chainsaw is immediately used on many properties. This claim “belongs in the realm of legends”.
Mayor Heilinglechner disagreed – “that has nothing to do with the creation of legends.”
However, he qualified his claim a little by correcting himself: Spontaneous felling operations “may” occur as soon as property owners see a ban looming on the horizon.
Once again, the clear majority of the expert committee rejected the adoption of a tree protection ordinance.
Just snap, Dr.
Schmidt and his parliamentary group colleague Peter Lobenstein voted in favor.
(cce)
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