12.56.020 Definitions.

             As used in this chapter, the following definitions shall apply:

             “ANSI A300 standards” means the most current version of the American National Standard for Tree Care Operations—Tree, Shrub and Other Woody Plant Maintenance-Standard Practices.

             “Arborist report” means a report prepared by a qualified arborist that may include, as determined by the director, information concerning the location of, condition of, and potential impacts of proposed development on one or more city trees or private protected trees.

             “City tree” means any tree the trunk of which, when measured four and one-half feet above ground, is partially or completely located in a city park, on real property the city owns in fee, or on a public right-of-way, including any street, road, sidewalk, park strip, mow strip, or alley.

             “Day” means calendar day.

             “Diameter at standard height” or “DSH,” means the diameter of a tree measured at four and one-half feet above natural grade, except as specified below. The diameter shall be calculated by using the following formula: diameter = circumference/3.14.

             A.               For a tree that branches at or below four and one-half feet, DSH means the diameter at the narrowest point between the grade and the branching point.

             B.               For a tree with a common root system that branches at the ground, DSH means the sum of the diameter of the largest trunk and one-half the cumulative diameter of the remaining trunks at four and one-half feet above natural grade.

             “Director” means the following:

             A.               for city trees located in city parks, the director of the department of parks or the director’s designee; and

             B.               for all other city trees, the director of the department of public works or the director’s designee.

             “Minor pruning” means the removal of dead branches; or cutting of roots or branches less than two inches in diameter, measured at the location of the cut, from a private protected tree in a cumulative amount of no more than ten (10) percent of a combination of the root system and tree crown within a twelve (12) month period.

             “Person” means and includes any individual, partnership, corporation or other private or public entity, except the city of Sacramento.

             “Private protected tree” means:

             A.               A tree that is designated by city council resolution to have special historical value, special environmental value, or significant community benefit, and is located on private property;

             B.               Any native Valley Oak (Quercus lobata), Blue Oak (Quercus douglasii), Interior Live Oak (Quercus wislizenii), Coast Live Oak (Quercus agrifolia), California Buckeye (Aesculus californica), or California Sycamore (Platanus racemosa), that has a DSH of twelve (12) inches or more, and is located on private property;

             C.               A tree that has a DSH of twenty-four (24) inches or more located on private property that:

             1.               Is an undeveloped lot; or

             2.               Does not include any single unit or duplex dwellings; or

             D.               A tree that has a DSH of thirty-two (32) inches or more located on private property that includes any single unit or duplex dwellings.

             “Property owner” means the person listed as the owner of the property on the last equalized assessment roll provided that if the director has actual knowledge of a grant deed or other reliable evidence showing that a different person owns legal title to the property, “owner” also may include the different person.

             “Public project” means the same as defined in Section 3.60.010.

             “Public utility” means every pipeline corporation, gas corporation, electrical corporation, telephone corporation, telegraph corporation, water corporation, sewer system, and heat corporation, where the service is performed for or the commodity delivered to the public or any portion thereof.

             “Qualified arborist” means a person who is certified as an arborist by the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) with an active ISA certification number, a person who is a registered consulting arborist with the American Society of Consulting Arborists, or a person who has five or more years of demonstrable professional experience as an arborist and who agrees in writing to perform all work in compliance with ANSI A300 standard.

             “Regulated work” means planting a city tree, or any act that could adversely impact the health of a city tree or private protected tree such as:

             A.               Removing a city tree or private protected tree;

             B.               Pruning the branches or roots from a city tree or private protected tree;

             C.               Affixing any signs, lights, or hardware to a city tree;

             D.               Grading, clearing, excavating, adding fill soil, trenching, boring, compacting, or paving within the tree protection zone of a city tree or private protected tree;

             E.               Placing or storing construction equipment or construction material within the tree protection zone of a city tree or private protected tree;

             F.               Application of any harmful substance within the tree protection zone of a city tree or private protected tree; or

             G.               Topping a city tree or private protected tree.

             Regulated work does not include routine maintenance.

             “Routine maintenance” means minor pruning; irrigation; mulch application, mowing or trimming grass or other ground cover close to a tree; application of fertilizer, insecticides, or herbicides in accordance with their label; or any other similar acts that promote the life, growth, or health of trees. Any procedure, technique, or practice that is expressly prohibited under the current ANSI A300 standards, including topping, is not routine maintenance.

             “Topping” means a type of pruning that is not routine maintenance and involves the removal of tops of trees, or large branches or trunks from tops of trees, leaving large stubs or lateral branches that are too small to assume the role of a terminal leader.

             “Tree permit” means a permit to conduct regulated work on or around a city tree or private protected tree.

             “Tree protection plan” means the plan submitted by the applicant and approved by the city to list the site conditions and treatments to guard city trees and private protected trees during the construction and landscaping processes.

             “Tree protection zone” means the area around a tree within the outermost circumference of the canopy or as set forth in a tree protection plan.

             “Tree replacement plan” means a plan prepared by an applicant for a tree permit that provides how the applicant will replace either city trees or private protected trees that will be removed if a tree permit is issued. (Ord. 2016-0026 § 4)