Tree Technical Manual

A public tree is any tree located on property owned by the City of Columbus, which includes parks, right-of-way and other City-owned land. See Section 1.4.

• Critical Root Zone (CRZ): The area of soil extending from the tree trunk in which roots required for future tree health and survival are located. This area is defined as a circle with a minimum radius of 1.5 feet for every 1 inch in Diameter at Standard Height (DSH). The CRZ does not vary depending on the tree species.
• Tree Protection Zone (TPZ): The portion of the Critical Root Zone that must be protected during construction, as set forth in rules and regulations promulgated by the Director.

Any work on or in the Critical Root Zone (CRZ) of a public tree requires a Forestry permit. Whether you are a private property owner, a developer or a private utility, anyone impacting a public tree must apply for a Forestry permit. Planting, maintaining or removing a public tree must be done under the supervision of a certified arborist. There is no application fee. The permit is online. A Forestry arborist will do an inspection and approve, modify or deny the request. The permittee must comply with all specifications of the permit, and if a tree removal triggers tree mitigation, any applicable fees must be paid prior to permit issuance.

• Projects undergoing Plan Review: The tree contractor must apply for a Forestry permit after plan approval, once notice to proceed has been issued for construction. See Section 3.2.
• Routine and emergency maintenance by city departments and private utilities must be permitted and may be covered under an annual permit. See Section 3.3a & 3.3b.
• Private property maintenance projects that could have a potential negative impact on a public tree: property owners must apply for a Forestry permit before work starts. See Section 3.3c.
• Other activity by adjacent property owners that will require a permit include tree planting, removal, pruning, or any other work within the Critical Root Zone (CRZ) of a public tree. The property owner must hire a certified arborist, who will in turn apply for the Forestry permit before work starts. See Section 3.3d.

• The Forestry permit will be issued for the project and issued to the company performing the work.
• It is possible to have multiple Forestry permits per project if separate contractors are involved. For example:
  • Tree protection fencing could be installed by the construction contractor.
  • Tree removals and pruning must be performed by a tree contractor with an ISA certified arborist overseeing the crew.
  • Plantings could be a different contractor than the one doing the removals and/or pruning.

There is no application fee to apply for a Forestry permit. If public trees are requested to be removed, any applicable mitigation fees must be paid prior to permit issuance.

Even if a tree is exempt from mitigation, a Forestry permit is still required for its removal.

• When you are conducting work within the Critical Root Zone (CRZ) of a public tree.
• Any time you deviate from approved plans that impact a public tree.
• If there is damage done to a protected tree, contact Forestry the same day.
• If you are requesting to do work on a public tree, including maintenance, removal, storm damage and emergencies.

The Public Tree Plan is a plan sheet(s) that is required for any plan with public trees located in the Work Limits. See Section 4.

See the process to approve a natural resource professional.

Yes. You can access the Public Tree Inventory here.

Replanting, payment into the Tree Fund, or a combination of both that is required when a public tree is removed. See Section 5.

The threshold depends on whether the tree is growing in a maintained landscape area or a naturalized area. See Section 5.4a.

While Forestry will conduct inspections on any Forestry permit, inspection fees only apply for projects that involve mitigation replantings. See Section 5.5.

The natural resource professional will propose appropriate tree protection measures, including fence location and material. Forestry will approve these measures in the Forestry permit. If work in the Tree Protection Zone (TPZ) of a public tree will last less than 45 cumulative calendar days in a project, fencing requirements may be waived. Even if a public tree is not fenced, the TPZ should be protected from construction equipment and materials. See Section 6.1.

If the protected tree does not survive one year after post construction due to a documented violation of a Forestry permit, then removal and mitigation of that tree will apply. See Section 6.3.

Spring plantings may occur from March 1 to May 31. Fall plantings may occur from Sept. 15 through Dec. 31. Forestry staff must approve planting times if they vary from those indicated, prior to planting. See Section 7.5.

See Section 7.6 Site Selection to propose appropriate planting spaces.

See Section 8.1 for circumstances in which pruning is advisable. For construction projects, clearance pruning to remove low limbs and allow construction access is likely and should be bid as part of the project.

If a tree to be removed has roots or branches that extend into the Critical Root Zone (CRZ) of a protected tree, it must be removed by tree care workers working under the direction of a certified arborist. No removals shall be attempted by demolition or construction personnel, grading or other heavy equipment. See Section 9.1.

Appendix B lists recommended street tree species, as well as prohibited species. This list is not exclusive so natural resource professionals may suggest alternative species for Forestry to review as part of the Public Tree Plan.