ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, February 1, 1997 TAG: 9702030059
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-4 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: RICHMOND
SOURCE: Associated Press
What would you prefer to see as you cruise down a Virginia highway: a patch of saplings or a billboard advertising an eatery, motel or gas station at the next exit?
If a bill approved Friday by the House of Delegates becomes law, you can expect to see more ads and less greenery.
The legislation would permit billboard owners to cut down any ``diseased or unsightly'' trees up to 4 inches in diameter on public land if the trees block the view of the billboard from the highway.
Scenic America, a nonprofit conservation group in Washington, D.C., and the Garden Club of Virginia opposed Del. Frank Ruff's bill. Scenic America spokesman Frank Vespe said the proposal puts the outdoor advertising industry's interests ahead of the public good.
Not so, said Kippy Burns of the Outdoor Advertising Association of America. She said travelers depend on billboards when looking for tourist attractions, food, fuel and lodging.
Under the proposal by Ruff, R-Mecklenburg County, billboard owners would have to get a permit from the Virginia Department of Transportation before chopping down trees. The bill does not specify who decides whether trees are diseased or unsightly. That would be left to VDOT regulations.
Seven states have similar laws, Burns said.
``We drove down Interstate 95 yesterday and saw a number of instances where trees on the public right of way could be cut down under this bill,'' Vespe said. ``It would have been hundreds of trees.''
Del. John Watkins, R-Chesterfield County, who owns a nursery, said some trees 4 inches in diameter can grow 20 to 25 feet high. He voted for the bill, which passed 58-40.
``It's at a point now where a lot of the signs aren't as useful to the traveler as they could be,'' Watkins said.
Vespe argued that the smaller signs VDOT places along interstate highways advising motorists about services available at the next exit are adequate.
``Tourists don't come to Virginia because it has billboards,'' he said. ``They come because Virginia has incredible natural beauty and carefully preserved historic communities.''
VDOT regulations allow removal of trees up to 2 inches in diameter to improve visibility of about 2,300 billboards. Ruff's bill would apply to those signs plus an additional 1,300 billboards not covered by the VDOT regulations.
``We have a long history of opposing billboards, going back to about 1930,'' said Hylah Boyd of Richmond, conservation chairman for the Garden Club of Virginia. ``We're very interested in Virginia's scenic beauty being maintained, and we don't think billboards help in that effort.''
Del. Clifton ``Chip'' Woodrum's wife, Emily, is active in the Garden Club in Roanoke, but the Democrat voted for the bill anyway. He said he's not too worried about the grief he might catch from her.
``We've been happily married for 33 years,'' he said, ``and we're talking about hugging trees - not blondes.''
LENGTH: Medium: 63 lines ILLUSTRATION: GRAPHIC: Chart: How they voted. KEYWORDS: MGR GENERAL ASSEMBLY 1997by CNB