Fines for the pruning or removal of trees in Georgetown County could be increasing, and the list of protected trees could be getting longer.

The Georgetown County Planning Commission held a workshop Thursday and discussed the amount of fines for violating the county's current tree protection ordinance.

Fines now include any amount up to $500.

The proposed tree protection ordinance adds more trees to the protected list, and puts the fines for each violation at an amount of $500 each.

"Previously, 10 trees [damaged] at one time was considered one violation,'' said County Planning Director Boyd Johnson.

The county is seeking to change the tree protection ordinance since there has already been some destruction of trees along the water ways of the Waccamaw Neck.

Besides changing the fine for violating the tree ordinance, Commissioners also debated whether to have longleaf pines protected throughout Georgetown County.

The proposed wording in the new regulations says the longleaf pine would only be protected on the Waccamaw Neck.

Sierra Club Spokesman Robert Schumaker said during Thursday's workshop that the longleaf pines should be protected, since they are home to the endangered red cockaded woodpecker.

Commissioner Jeff Kinard asked why the ordinance would not protect longleaf pines in other parts of Georgetown County.

"If it's a good policy, then why is it limited to the Waccamaw Neck?'' Kinard asked.

"I'm concerned there will be conflict with people on the Western end of the county,'' Johnson said.

According to the longleaf pine Web site, the tree used to cover 30 to 60 million acres of the southeastern United States Coastal Plain.

The trees became overharvested in the past 200 years. Longleaf pines, which grow in the southeast, take at least 20 to 30 years to mature.

The proposed regulations say longleaf pines located on commercially zoned land or multi-family lots within an area bounded by the Waccamaw River and the Atlantic Ocean should be protected - but doesn't extend the protection beyond the Waccamaw Neck.

Commissioners agreed they should take the change to County Council with the Waccamaw Neck protection included, but not try to pass the regulation countywide. Extending the protection for longleaf pines, countywide, would probably be too much of a change at one time, commissioners said.

Landmark trees

The possible new regulations also spells out what is considered a landmark tree, and says those trees can't be cut or removed unless the tree is diseased or causing damage to a structure's foundation.

"Damage to a driveway or patio is not considered sufficient cause for tree removal,'' the ordinance says.

A county permit would be required for most limb and root pruning, except for trees being pruned on single-family lots.

Tree topping wouldn't be allowed, according to the ordinance.

Legacy trees, which includes trees that are planted to honor a person, organization or event, couldn't be removed without the county's permission.

The new ordinance would also ask that developers not remove trees in order to comply with stormwater regulations.

"Developers shall design stormwater infrastructures so as to reduce the number of significant or landmark trees removed.

"Tree density and function are complementary issues to good stormwater retention and system design.''