Apex advisory board outlines six tree‑canopy directives and seeks volunteers

A presenter told the Apex Environmental Advisory Board that the tree‑canopy subcommittee will pursue six areas of work to protect and expand the town's tree cover, including setting an ambitious canopy‑preservation percentage, addressing urban heat‑island hotspots, exploring a municipal nursery or expanded services, strengthening standards to reduce clear‑cutting, creating a tree‑mitigation fund, and prioritizing native species.

The presenter summarized that the group will research neighboring communities' best practices for preservation metrics and consider policy options or Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) amendments for town council review. The presenter also said the subcommittee has been reduced by resignations to a single active member and encouraged volunteers to join so the work can continue.

During discussion board members raised tradeoffs between product types (townhomes versus large single‑family lots), and staff clarified that the existing penalty for single‑family detached clear‑cutting is 5% additional conservation area restored or preserved; that 5% currently does not apply to townhome products under the UDO, a gap the board may consider addressing. Members volunteered to help expand the outreach and documentation needed to draft potential changes for council consideration.