§ 24.30.380. Wetlands—Vegetation removal—Other allowed vegetation removal.

Removal of vegetation is allowed as part of an approved habitat restoration or enhancement project in the wetland or associated buffer. Other vegetation may be removed from wetlands and associated buffers provided compliance with all of the criteria below can be met:

A.

Removal of vegetation shall be the minimum extent necessary for surveying or testing purposes.

B.

The approval authority may allow trimming of vegetation to provide a view corridor in the outer (furthest from the wetland) twenty-five percent of the standard buffer of Category III and IV wetlands with a wildlife habitat rating of four points or less under the Wetland Rating System for Western Washington, provided that trimming is limited to view corridors with maximum widths of twenty feet. Trimming shall be limited to limbing or crown thinning in compliance with Tree Care Industry Association (formerly the National Arborist Association) pruning standards. No more than thirty percent of the live crown of a tree may be removed in any three-year period. Trimming shall not include felling, topping, or removal of trees or jeopardize the tree's survival. Snags shall be left in place except as provided for in Section 24.30.350A.

(Ord. No. 14773, § 3(Att. B), 7-24-2012; Ord. No. 15291, § 1(Att. A), 5-10-2016)