To Tree or not to Tree
 

Forget ARC. When you build a home, a tree is required by the COUNTY and STATE building codes.( Maybe more than 1 depending on the size of the lot.) And for good reasons.

Yes, they might be low quality and ugly, and should be replaced with better looking and even a better species...... but too many people are choosing to delete having a tree at all, particularly in the new section's smaller front yards.

Think about how much future shade will be cast on all those hot shingles, concrete driveways, and black asphalt roads. Multiply times each home in The Villages.

If you opt for a palm Roebelenii DOES NOT COUNT, nor those dwarf red crepe myrtles or bottlebrush, they just don't get there. Yes there will be leaves to rake, or fronds, maybe even pine needles (wow, free mulch!) but you can pick your tree by choosing what you are willing to do to get the attributes you would like.


ASK HERE and I will help.


PLEASE PLEASE... have a tree. There was likely more than 1 on the little piece of ground you now call home, you know... back before the developer, "developed" it.

It’s a lovely idea. I hope you also mention the regular work involved, a neighbor is 92 and still tries to rake up the constantly falling (on his neighbor’s property too) oak leaves. He has energy for 5 minutes raking at a time. Another neighbor’s magnolia leaves are over 6 houses away blown by the wind. And two neighbors have corner lots with king palms. One pays quite a bit to have them cut the frost bitten parts off every year. The other one paid thousands of dollars to have them removed because they were (for 10 years) over some drain unit (and she was reported) although she bought the place like that. Also think of storms and make sure they are not too close to the house if they fall.

So do your research and chose the type of tree you want to maintain. But yes, please do chose trees. The whole neighborhood looks less “industrial” when there are trees. You will be happier coming home. Birds will sing for you by your window. You can have a bit of Florida’s nature all to yourself!

OK, that's gotta be BS. There are neighborhoods in TV where you could drive for miles without ever seeing a single real tree. I am positive there is not a single tree in the entire neighborhood where my CYV rental is located.

If you hate trees (as apparently, nearly everyone who is not actively buying a house does), please don't buy a tree that you are just going to beg someone to cut down, the first time you see leaves on your pristine lawn.

The state of Florida doesn't require property owners to plant trees on their properties. Sumter county tree planting law says only that the county "may require street trees when an adequate number of trees do not exist on a lot." https://www.sumtersc.gov/sites/defau.../article_8.pdf article (8.d.6)

There are laws about existing trees and historic trees, but nothing saying new trees must be planted.

We had two trees on our property. One had a previous termite infestation and half of it was dead, the other one was rooting into the foundation of our garage and destroying our dwelling. We removed both of them, and I planted a lemon tree sapling in place of one of them. The sapling is now a healthy juvenile tree that had three lemons last year, and so far nothing this year. It's still under 6 feet tall though and resembles a bush more than it looks like a tree.

Please provide a citation and link for those County and State requirements.

I’d say plant some flowers if you’re not up for a tree.
Flowers are not only beautiful, they will help the pollinators and the birds that feed on them. The food chain starts there.

Remember, if the insects go, we go.

Building codes, not zoning or code enforcement.
I already read all the codes a few times so feel free to do your own legwork so you can tell me how wrong I am.
I will however be here to help people that want help choosing a tree, as a free of charge/community kinda thing.

If you want to look up the codes that requires a tree or trees on new home lots prior to closing have at it.
Though if you'll notice... TV is putting a tree (or trees) at EVERY home, notice the terrible quality of most, and you can deduce they are NOT doing it, to help sales.

The requirement has been around a long time (decades) and was revised as to variety of trees allowed a few years back... no one was using very many actual native trees anyway... less important can of worms there, I'll leave it closed.

Yep, there's some BS going on alright.
The trees WERE THERE, people TAKE THEM OUT and don't REPLACE THEM... hence the subject of this thread.
Now the pristine lawn thing... you CAN actually drive many a mile without finding one of those LOL.

If you want to make a claim that something is true, it's up to you to cite your source. I actually went through the trouble of checking, and didn't find anything to indicate that what you claim is true.

To everyone else: I would suggest, very strongly, that you NOT get in touch with this person to try and get help choosing a tree for your lawn. Tis the season to be scammed.

So no citation and no link just emphatic assertions. Got it.

When you build a house, you choose a tree, or trees... no tree is not an option. Because a tree is required at every lot, by the county codes, and backed up by the State. A fact is a fact no matter how sincerely you state otherwise. And regardless of "proof" to your satisfaction.

Again, here to help people find a tree that suits them and become less destructive to this beautiful Florida landscape, and plant for a healthier future. This has been my home for half a century, and when I see detrimental acts becoming widespread and commonplace, like removing all canopy trees, because they are inconvenient.... then I have no choice but to speak, give advice, and offer help to those who can see the forest through the trees(or lack thereof) and wish to help remedy the OBVIOUS ISSUE of TREES BEING REMOVED AT ALMOST EVERY NEW HOME.

Not looking to "get in touch" with anyone. Only to openly and honestly help folks who would like to find a good species of tree for them, know what that species is. Then go buy one somewhere, anywhere... Tractor Supply, Home Depot, Lowes, but NOT from me, I have more work than I want already. Why has this become a thread about what is or isn't in the building codes? Can you not drive around all the new homes built near Lake Denim and Lake Okahumpka and see the issue for yourself?

Wow... "No good deed goes unpunished."

Many District Deed compliance require at least one TREE. You are correct.

South FL considers palms weeds now just sayin. Plant a tree, they produce oxygen. Right?

Would be interesting to know how many people in The Villages are saying no on trees because of the leaves yet still push a "climate change" and "carbon emissions" montra?

Not a disbeliever in the fact that the the earth's climate changes naturally. Plant a tree.

Any Village leaf haters that are climate "virtue signalers" would seem to be Village hypocrits.

Having been involved with building 3 houses with the Villagers Habitat Club in Lake County, I can tell you that there are rules for trees. Whether The Villages has an exemption, I have no idea. The information below was taken from the Lake County web site.

What are the tree requirements for a single-family residence?

Two trees for lots 6,000 square feet or less
Three trees for 6,001 to 10,000 square feet
Five trees for more than 10,001 square feet to one acre
Add three more trees per acre over one acre – not to exceed 15
Three acres = 11 trees
Four acres = 14 trees
Five acres = 15 trees

:boom:

:bigbow:

The point about CO2 levels is that the oxygen reproducing plants and the human producing CO2 activity balance is out of balance. So planting trees is the best and maybe only option. . .
also known as biodiversity. Golf cart use versus automobiles may be helpful . .

The point about rising earth temperatures is that the green plants some with shade have been replaced with steel, cement and asphalt, which are heat sinks. They absorb and retain heat. So TV development is contributing towards global warming.

Lets always work towards helping create more O so that we can use O as we please. .

This thread is very timely for me. My home is in Lake County. I’m currently preparing to submit ARC for landscaping. If I’m not mistaken, I am required to plant 2 canopy trees, each having a circumference of 4 inches and a height of 6 feet. Since I’m not familiar with Florida canopy trees, I would like to know more about trees that are less invasive, less upkeep and those that will be smaller trees. Thank you so much.

If many deed restrictions require at least one tree, can you point to a deed restriction within the Sumter County portion of the Villages that has such a requirement? I have looked at a random deed restriction from CDD5, CDD10, CDD12, and CDD13 and could find no mention of such a requirement. There is a requirement that approval be granted before a tree is removed but no requirement that at least one tree be present.

Note that there is a requirement to gain approval before some trees are planted.

Far too much time is spent arguing about what someone believes is a requirement or someone's barber said was a requirement or what someone wants as a requirement. The very least that ought to be done is to be able to show that the requirement truly exists.

not even worth a response..... SMH

Oh, but ROBELLINI palms do count. We specifically purchased a large 12’ tall double trunk to plant in front of our front window. It completely shades the big window from the afternoon/evening setting sun. It has cut down the heat in that room dramatically.

Plant an East Palatka Holly tree. Native to Florida, does not make a mess, attracts pollinators when it blooms (but does not have a significant flower) and then has red berries that the birds love. Easy to get and easy to keep. It can also tolerate trimming. I do a lot of gardening around my house and this one is a winner. Relatively slow grower but can achieve a beautiful height and shape. Love trees and wish I could have more of them.

What Tree
 

I didn't have a tree in my yard when I bought my house.

Thank you Orange Blossom Baby!

Please add the link to the codes. Should be an interesting read.

On my first home here, a neighbor across the street planted 3 trees, as they grew all the neighbors around them got most of their leaves! That doesn’t sound fair.

Maintenance
 

Any tree you add will be maintenance. I don’t see a reason to add one. Besides, I don’t want to go through the ARC to do anything.

I would like to ask, even though it's not a new house. Thank you for your kind offer.

A couple of years ago, I had a large Washingtonia palm removed from my front yard. It was near the street and surrounded by the driveway (see illustration). I was wondering if there is a small ornamental tree that would be a suitable replacement.

Much of the Villages land was open farmland
 

One thing that you have tried to mislead us with is that, in the last 12 years that I have been here, much of the land that the Villages has built on was open (for grazing) farmland. It may have once contained many trees, but that was long before the the Villages acquired and built upon it. I have seen them many times take the large Oaks and build around them , thus saving the trees. In the past I have seen them remove some large trees only to transplant them in a new area ( this blocks the roads for a few hours at a time). Anyway I do love the trees. We have a large bottle brush an olive tree and a well trimmed crepe myrtle that grows up to about 30 feet high each summer.

I have always thought that "The Developer" was very good compared to other developers that I have seen over the years, in saving trees, wetlands, and conservation areas.

Golf course maintenance?:shrug:

The "Historic" section was founded on pastureland, when Schwartz and his partner Tarrson turned it into a trailer park in the 1970's. There weren't many trees in Orange Blossom Gardens at all, at the time.

Many residents planted citrus trees but they attracted rodents and having to pick up fallen rotting fruit from the ground all the time was too much work for people who only planted them because it was a novel idea. So they were torn out. Only some residents have fruit trees in their yards. I have one and I plan on keeping it small. I don't plan on growing it tall enough to be a shade tree. Ten feet high will probably be my limit, since that's as high as I want to have to climb the ladder to trim it.

Trees in villages have lot of carbon monoxide to grow that’s for sure. :wave:

That’s because somebody cut them down long ago. Takes 20 plus years for lot or acres to produce Mature volunteer trees if let alone.

Sounds fishy
 

So, people have requested where to find these building codes. You continue to challenge the same people to look up the code if they like but DO NOT offer your source of information. If I had to guess, you own a landscaping company and are trying to drum up some tree planting business by way of spreading a fear of being out of compliance of what may or may not be an actual code.

Sorry, should have been more specific. Drive through "Hillcrest Villas" in Hadley sometime if you don't believe me. Not only has there never been a tree there since the Developer mowed them all down to build houses, there isn't a place where you could plant a tree if you wanted one. It's a beautiful Florida-vacation-looking established neighborhood, with lots of palms and other tropical vegetation. What you won't see are any 20-year-old oak trees in anyone's yard.

In fact, drive through any Southern, recently developed neighborhood. Much of the South side is a completely different environment than the wooded, hilly land on the North. Trees would look weird and probably wouldn't survive because there were none there to begin with. Like I said, there are neighborhoods where you can drive for miles without seeing an oak tree in anyone's yard.

The evidence says you are mistaken. Everyone has asked you to cite your source, and you have refused.

Are we done yet?

Carbon Monoxide???

https://media.tenor.com/me1Yk0jRlHoA...h-confused.gif

Gasoline golf carts are not designed to be efficient or have smog control devices. They use as much gas/mile as a full size automobile. Electric golf carts would help decrease pollution in The Villages. Trees do more than just provide shade, they create oxygen (O2) and they act as natural air conditioning units by having GREAT evaporation cooling effect. They also filter out dust and smoke. Any plant would have some positive effect, even a lawn, but a trees cooling effect would be much higher. And a lawn has the drawback of needing cutting often by large, loud internal combustion engines. Electric lawn mowers being the exception. Also, often a lawn needs to be fertilized (and often over fertilized), whereas a tree often needs little fertilizer.
.........Note that the shade under a tree is cooler than comparable shade from a building. A line of evergreen trees with their deep roots can provide protection to a home or community center in case of high winds or a Hurricane.

Planting evergreens could have helped that situation. Sycamore leaves really blow a long distance.

I don't think that EVERGREEN trees would look "weird" anywhere in The Villages. And they should survive.

"To tree or NOT to tree". I believe that is what the fox thought to itself as it heard the dogs bellowing after him.

On that bicycle again..

Karen complaining about Electric Car Engine left on 🤣🤣🤣🤣 #karen #shorts #uk #tesla #electric - YouTube

you’re just sitting here polluting the air.