POLICY ON TREE REMOVAL - WLHO- Westlake Homeowners Association

WESTLAKE HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION
POLICY ON REMOVAL OF TREES

The Westlake Homeowners Association CCRs provide for the following rules and guidelines on removal of trees.
AMENDED DECLARATION OF COVENANTS AND RESTRICTIONS
Article 7
No landscaping performed unless plans have been submitted to and approved in writing by the Architectural Design Review Committee
Article 8
  Grounds shall be maintained in a neat and attractive manner
 Article 9
No owner shall remove trees, except those which are hazard, diseased, or where approval to remove trees has been granted by the City of Lake Oswego  
AMENDED BYLAWS
Article 7.1a – maintain good appearance and condition of lot and improvements
COMMUNITY GUIDELINES
Design Guidelines – Landscaping – Tree Cutting p13–ADRC approval is required before trees may be removed.  The ADRC requires written confirmation from a certified arborist before it will approve a request to cut a tree.

POLICY ON REMOVAL OF TREES - TO BE EFFECTIVE APRIL 1, 2023
The preservation of trees in our neighborhood is an important part of the value of Westlake.  Removal of trees that are hazardous, diseased or dying, or that have clearly outgrown the space where planted, becomes necessary under certain circumstances.  The Board of Directors believes that rules and procedures currently outlined by the City of Lake Oswego, including the status of the tree in question and whether an arborist evaluation is needed, provide effective guidance for removal of trees.  When a homeowner wishes to remove a tree, an ADRC Application is required, similar to other landscape project requests.  The Application should describe the need for removal, the type of removal as outlined in the City guidelines, whether an arborist evaluation will be required by the City, and adjacent neighbor signoffs.  The Board will evaluate the request based on an assessment of the overall appearance of the area and tree in question, and will approve the request if that assessment is deemed acceptable.  

HOMEOWNERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO CONTACT ANY MEMBER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS WITH QUESTIONS REGARDING THIS POLICY OR ITS IMPLEMENTATION.