D'Iberville puts a high price on protected trees

D'IBERVILLE, Miss. - It will cost developers and homeowners who cut down a protected tree in D'Iberville, and the bigger the tree, the more they will spend.

The Sun Herald reports the city council amended the tree ordinance last month and set tough new mitigation requirements on a graduated scale, depending on the size of the tree.

A protected tree 8 inches in diameter must be replaced with 12 trees. A 14-inch diameter protected tree would cost three trees plus three more for every 2 inches, requiring that 21 new trees be planted.

The original tree ordinance adopted in December 1992 designated oaks, magnolia, cypress, sycamore and cedars as protected trees. Under the new ordinance, oak was changed to live oak trees and cypress to bald cypress.