Local forest regulatory ordinances: trends in the Eastern United States

All of the different levels of local government in the US have adopted forest regulatory ordinances over the past few decades. An overview of such local forest regulatory ordinances in the eastern US is presented. In the north, most of the laws are enacted by towns, townships, villages, and cities. In the south, these types of laws are typically enacted at the county or parish level. The majority of the northern ordinances are tailored toward protecting environmental quality and aesthetics from uncontrolled timber harvesting. In the south, most of the local ordinances are concerned with protecting local government investments in roads, bridges, and highways. Many of these new laws were enacted as part of urban-rural migration trends. A state-by-state review of ordinance trends is included.