How to Appeal Your Public Tree Removal Application

In accordance with the Urban Forest Master Plan (Plan) ensuring a healthy urban forest for residents, visitors and future generations, the City has established a policy to appeal the City’s determination to remove a tree as well as the City’s determination to not remove a tree.

Authority to remove trees is articulated in the Plan and municipal code section 7.40.090, Responsibility of Director. The Director of Public Works (Director) is ultimately responsible for the duty of supervising the removal of public trees. To ensure transparency and inform the public, appeals will be reviewed by the Urban Forest Task Force (UFTF) at a public meeting to provide a recommended determination. The Director will consider the UFTF recommendation in making a final determination.

Click here to access the online appeal form.

Tree Removal Criteria: Pursuant to the Urban Forest Master Plan, a tree may be removed when:

• A tree is dead
• A tree has reached an over-mature condition and is in declining health which will result in its death within the year
• A tree is infected with a disease which cannot be treated successfully and/or there is a strong potential that the pathogen could spread to other trees in the immediate vicinity
• A tree has been determined through a Risk Assessment Report to be a hazard because of its high potential for failure due to considerable dead or dying foliage, branches, roots or trunk
• A tree requires extensive root pruning because of excessive hardscape damage resulting in the severe reduction of its capacity to support itself, thereby creating a potential safety hazard
• A tree is not a good candidate for relocation
• A tree is not a good candidate for relocation and has been approved for removal as a part of a City Council approved public improvement project that has already gone through the established public process
• A tree planted by a private party in the public right-of-way after City Council approval of the Master Plan (December 13, 2011) may be subject to removal of the tree by the City