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This division was formed to create, maintain, manage, and preserve Leon County's Canopy Roads.
This program is responsible for implementing the Canopy Roads Management Plan. This includes review
of tree removal requests; the planning and acquisition of scenic easements; the pruning and removal of
high risk trees; and the planting of trees and shrubs for canopy creation and
enhancement and buffer establishment.
This program implements the joint County/City Canopy Roads Management Plan on 76
miles of
designated canopy roads.
Vertical Clearance Pruning (elevating)
Overhead obstructions can damage vehicles traveling public roadways. A minimum
clearance of 14' 6'' is required by federal and state guidelines. Maximum vehicle
height without special permits is 13'6''. Tree limbs can be obstructions that
damage taller vehicles. National guidelines are used so that vehicle operators
coming from any portion of the country can have a reasonable idea of what
to expect and arrive safely. Some portions of the canopy roads are posted at heights
below this with alternate routes available. This was done a few years ago as
part of a process to make the roads as safe as possible, while still protecting
their beauty. In other areas, if the removal of a few limbs made the site safe
without disfiguring the tree or removing large amounts of the crown, pruning was
performed. This pruning is an ongoing process as trees grow and the weight of
growing limbs causes them to grow closer to the ground. This is especially noticeable
during wet weather with the added weight of the water in the tree. Recently portions of Miccosukee Road near Crump Road
were pruned for
height clearance (elevated) to the legal minimum. All county roads are checked
and pruned periodically for this purpose. This is one of many maintenance
practices that help the canopy roads be preserved by preventing vehicle (and
occupant) / tree conflicts.
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