Many cities and counties have implemented regulations to protect trees because trees are considered to be critically important to the welfare of communities.
These regulations often strive to maintain a specified percentage of the overall tree canopy and typically mandate some measure of tree protection for trees within the boundaries of the community.
Some tree ordinances only address publically owned trees while many have expanded their jurisdiction to include privately owned trees, even if they are growing in a person’s back yard. Some ordinances only address tree removal and require a permit to remove a tree while others deal with tree health and the protection of root zones during construction.
With so many different jurisdictions, each with its own ordinances, codes, and regulations, the process of dealing with trees can become very confusing.
