Blaine, MN Tree Protection: Heritage & Protected Trees (2026)

Blaine protects mature trees through its zoning code's performance standards rather than through a separate historic or landmark tree ordinance. Section 100-2 sets the trigger: a 'significant tree' is any live, healthy tree measuring eight inches in diameter or greater, measured at 4½ feet above the ground. Once a tree crosses that threshold, § 129-9 governs what happens to it.

Anyone applying for an excavation permit, grading permit, building permit, conditional use permit, site plan or plat approval on a wooded lot must first submit a tree preservation plan, prepared by a registered architect, landscape architect or forester, inventorying every significant tree's size, species, location and condition. Trees removed or damaged during that construction activity must be replaced on-site, subject to zoning administrator approval, or paid for through the city's reforestation fund at a rate the council sets. Replacement is capped at eight trees per acre on both nonresidential parcels and residential lots over one acre; on residential lots under one acre, the code requires one-for-one replacement for the first seven trees removed, and lets an owner take out two significant trees per year with no replacement obligation at all.

Outside of any construction or grading permit, § 129-9(b) still limits removal from privately owned land to two significant trees per year unless the owner has an approved forest management plan on file; trees that are an obstruction to traffic or power lines, or a hazard to structures or sewer systems, are excluded from the count. Before any grading or excavation starts, the site must be staked and fenced for tree protection consistent with the approved plan.