Palm Beach County's tree cutting rule changes trigger concerns - Sun Sentinel

The county used to regulate tree removal on private, single-family properties, but not since 2009. Some would like to see the same level of scrutiny as before, including Lake Worth resident Drew Martin. Click title for link.

Before 2009, a permit was required to remove mature native trees from a single-family lot planned for construction. Trees of a certain size were protected or plans were supposed to be made to plant new ones on the property. If replanting wasn't possible, property owners could pay a fee toward environmental protections or improvements elsewhere.
County officials say downsizing prompted by budget cuts during the economic downturn triggered operational changes, such as doing away with the tree-clearing permit requirement for single-family lots.
Those properties are still subject to county landscaping rules, which can require planting new trees if the old ones are cut down. Also building permits call for landowners to only remove native trees that are in the footprint of their planned construction.
Yet that's a big change from the county inspections and marking of protected trees that used to be commonplace before 2009.