TREES

Takoma Park requires residents to have a permit prior to removing any tree in the city. The trees affected by this law are those with a circumference of 24 inches or 7 5/8" in diameter. The city also requires trees to be protected during construction. Tree protection must be approved by the City Arborist.

• Tree Protection or Removal FAQ's
• Tree Removal Permit/Waiver Application (pdf)
• Request For Tree Impact Assessment (pdf)
• Tree Protection Application (pdf)
• Tree Selection Guide
• Takoma Park Code: Title 12, Trees and Vegetation (pdf)

see also: gypsy moths
see also: mulch
see also: leaf schedule

Takoma Park employs an arborist to protect city trees and oversee the tree ordinance. The Arborist also manages the City's tree planting program in public rights of way and city parks.

Below you will find some useful Fact Sheets from the City of Takoma Park related to tree care.

• How To Mulch Trees In the Urban Environment
• How To Prevent Drought Damage To Trees
• How To Plant Trees In the Urban Environment
• How To Make A Proper Pruning Cut To An Urban Tree

Here are TPM/IPM Weekly Reports from the University of Marlyland for Arborists, Landscape Managers & Nursery Managers. These contain useful and locally relevant information for anybody caring for trees in Takoma Park.

• TPM/IPM Report for August 27, 2010 (pdf)
• TPM/IPM Report for August 13, 2010 (pdf)
  

Urban Tree Canopy

A current Urban Tree Canopy (UTC) report is now available for review. In order to better understand the condition and extent of the urban forest within Takoma Park the City contracted with Jarlath ONeil-Dunne at the University of Vermont Spatial Analysis Laboratory to separate out the City data from his larger project of mapping the UTC of Montgomery County. UTC information has many uses related to the ecosystem services provided by trees both locally and regionally. The initial UTC research in the Washington area was related to the Chesapeake Bay program. Our data is actually a very small part of a larger project studying the UTC of the Washington / Baltimore metro corridor funded, in part, by the Federal Government. The report is available HERE as a .PDF if you'd like to take a look!

For more information on Urban Tree Canopies and how the are assesed please visit the following websites:
Chesapeake Bay Urban Tree Canopy Goals: http://www.dnr.state.md.us/forests/programs/urban/urbantreecanopygoals.asp
Urban Natural Resources Stewardship: http://nrs.fs.fed.us/urban/utc/
Urban Tree Canopy Assessment Info: http://www.uvm.edu/~joneildu/?Page=research/utc/utc_main.html&SM=research/sm_research.html

Since 1986 Takoma Park has been a designated Tree City USA! Please click on the image above for more information on the Arbor Day Foundation, the grantor of this designation.

Tree City Growth Award

Takoma Park has also received the Tree City Growth Award from the Arbor Day Foundation. Please click on the image above for more information on the Arbor Day Foundation's Growth Award Program.

Contact Public Works

Call the City Arborist at 301.891.7612