Tree Removal Policy(PDF, 124KB)

DRAINAGE DISTRICT CORRIDOR TREE REMOVAL POLICY ATCP 48.24 REQUIRES County Drainage Boards to establish and maintain a district corridor around every district ditch. The District Corridor shall extend for 20 feet from the top of the ditch bank on each side of a district ditch. The Drainage Board may, by giving specific notice to landowners, establish a wider corridor if necessary to permit vehicle access or to protect water quality in the district ditch (per ATCP 48.24(2). The following procedures will be followed when performing district corridor maintenance when trees greater than 6” (diameter at breast height (DBH)) are required to be removed from the corridor. 1. Landowners will be notified a minimum of 6 months in advance of tree removal/corridor maintenance in an effort to allow the removal of trees by the owner or his agent. 2. Trees remaining at the time of a corridor maintenance project will be removed by the Drainage Board (or its agent) and any proceeds from the sale of such wood will be utilized to offset the costs of maintenance of the corridor. 3. Landowners may request to retain the logs before removed by the Board’s agent, however, the landowner will be charged for the costs of removing the trees. 4. Any tree stands, hunting blinds, or other obstructions in the corridor are the responsibility of the landowner to remove in advance of the project. Per ATCP 48.24 (c) - a person who engages in row cropping or places any obstruction in a district corridor, with or with Drainage Board permission, waives any claim for damages to those crops or obstructions that may be caused by County Drainage Board activities authorized under Chapter 88. Revised January 5, 2016