Orange County’s Award-Winning Tree Ordinance Making a Difference

Matt Melvin trudged through knee-high grass across a vacant 4-acre parcel near Lake Nona.

Sweat on his brow, he stepped into the welcoming shade of two towering Live Oaks and measured their wide, furrowed trunks.

He took note: These trees must stay.

A retail center is planned for the property, and Melvin, Senior Arborist with Orange County Government’s Zoning Division, was on site to ensure the development team complies with a relatively new County ordinance. This ordinance provides stronger protection for large, native trees than ever before. Gone are the days when developers could clear-cut wide swaths of unincorporated Orange County to make way for new construction.

The Board of County Commissioners approved the ordinance in September of 2023, and its implementation the following spring marked the first change to the County’s tree preservation policies in 23 years.

Stakeholders, including developers, landscape architects, and environmental advocates, provided input during a series of workshops to shape the final product.

“This ordinance requires developers to be mindful of trees when they develop,” Melvin said.

The heart of the ordinance beats strongest for old, native trees — the ones that can’t be replaced in a lifetime. Mature trees like the Live Oak and Southern Magnolia, now designated as Heritage Trees, along with Specimen Trees like Winged Elm, Turkey Oak, Longleaf Pine, Sweetgum, and Bald Cypress. Their towering presence offers far more than shade; they capture stormwater runoff, store carbon, shelter wildlife, and contribute immeasurably to the character of Orange County’s neighborhoods, Melvin said.

“There’s evidence that the largest native trees are the ones that produce the most benefits for our residents,” Melvin said. “And for these trees, it takes them a long time to get this large. So, we are trying to put extra emphasis on preservation for those reasons.”

In 2024, the Florida Urban Forestry Council presented Orange County with the “Outstanding Ordinance” award for its new tree protection provisions.

Here are some things to know about the ordinance:

Limits Tree Removal at Development Sites

Developers have stricter guidelines on where trees can be removed. Certain trees in parking lots, open spaces, new neighborhoods, and around stormwater ponds are now much harder to cut down.

More Trees Must Be Planted if One is Removed

If a protected tree is removed, the developer must plant new trees to make up for the lost canopy:

• If they remove a Specimen tree, they must replace it three times the number of trees removed.
• For a Heritage tree, it’s even more—these trees must be replaced with five times the number of trees removed.

However, developers are incentivized to keep these trees in place. Doing so can reduce permitting fees.

More Arborists on the Job

To help keep everything on track, the County’s Zoning Division has added more boots on the ground. The number of arborists has doubled—from three to six. These tree experts make sure the new rules are followed and that our urban canopy is in good hands.

For Melvin, it’s a job that blends technical expertise with something more intangible: stewardship.

“Plans on paper are one thing,” he said, “But to actually go out to development sites and identity these trees and measure them shows how serious we take preservation in the County.”