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    • Heritage trees

    Heritage trees are trees that are awarded special status due to their age, size, rarity or other factors. A discussion of various factors used to define heritage trees can be found at the ISA Tree Ordinance Guidelines website. Because these are special trees by definition, they may have special needs relative to tree care activities and inspections. The evaluation of heritage trees that are on sites that your program manages should consider whether inspection and maintenance is adequately matched to the trees' needs.

    Many communities have enacted heritage tree ordinances or other regulations in an effort to protect significant local trees that are not on city-owned property. Heritage tree or tree protection ordinances vary widely between communities and may address only tree removal or tree maintenance as well. Typically a permit is required for activities that will impact heritage trees.

    In most jurisdictions, a tree classified as a heritage or protected tree may be removed if it has become hazardous. In some jurisdictions, healthy heritage trees may be removed for various other reasons, but some type of mitigation is typically required. Such mitigations may include monetary payments to a dedicated fund and/or planting of replacement trees.

    In jurisdictions that have heritage tree ordinances, it is important to assessment of the effectiveness of the ordinance to see whether it is accomplishing its intended goals. Assessments may include examining permits related to retention of heritage trees and selecting a sample to see how trees have fared in the years after the permitted activity. Trees planted as mitigation could also be inspected after a number of years to see if they are still in place and how much of the lost canopy is actually replaced over time. Aerial imagery may also be used to track individual trees over time. High resolution images can provide information on canopy size and can be used to detect evidence of significant canopy decline in large trees.

    If heritage trees form an important component of a community's urban forest but do not have any regulatory protection, protection of these trees via an ordinance or other regulations may be considered in the plan. Information on the numbers of heritage trees, their condition, and trends affecting them can help to determine whether and how this segment of the urban forest resource should be addressed.

    It is important to note that ordinances and regulations designed to protect individual trees are typically not well suited to the protection of woodland or forest areas. Forest or woodland conservation ordinances should be considered as management tools for such areas. Assessment of natural forests and woodland resources within an urban forest is discussed under open space trees

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    Goal 2. Promote planting, preservation and protection of the existing Community Forest resource.
    • Policy 2.1 Protect the existing Community Forest through application of the Tree Planting, Preservation and Protection Ordinance (and other tree-related City standards and guidelines), including designation of trees as "Landmark Trees" or "Trees of Significance", and preservation and protection of private, City and street trees when developing or constructing public improvement projects or projects requiring a building permit or discretionary project review. ...

      F. Review and update [the] existing Landmark Tree List, standards for selection and other elements. Review list every five years for updates to list if necessary. Explore working with U.C. Davis Environmental Horticulture Department as an advisory body for review and updates. Identify significant benefits to property owners of Landmark Trees, including recognition and letters of appreciation from the City Council every five years.

     

     

    City of Davis Community Forest Management Plan

  • Work plan

For each category listed below:

 

  • indicate with a check in column 1 those that apply to your situation and will be addressed in the UF management plan
  • indicate the methods that will be used to collect the data, who will be responsible for collecting data, and their timeline for supplying the data
  • indicate who will be responsible for summarizing or analyzing the data and their timeline for providing the analysis for the plan


Heritage trees

Data collection

Data analysis
Include Characteristic Methods (?) By whom? Target date By whom? Target date Edit
1 Total number affected by permit process or design review over some time period-(specify)

1

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2 Species

2

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3 Reasons for permit requests

3

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4 Number of heritage trees removed

4

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5 Amount of mitigation for removed trees, e.g. money and/or trees planted

5

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6 Survival of planted mitigation trees

6

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7

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    • Outline

    Add content related to heritage trees:

    • Save to: Tree Resource Assessment > Heritage trees

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