Chesapeake, VA Tree Protection: Heritage & Protected Trees (2026)

A "historic tree" under Sec. 70-91(b) is not automatically protected by size or species: the designation requires an affirmative act of city council recognizing the tree as closely associated with a historical event, place or age. A "specimen tree or shrub" is judged instead by circumference, height or location, and will generally qualify as a "record" or "champion" tree under Virginia Forestry Association criteria, or by growing at the extremity of its natural range as defined by the Old Dominion University botany department. Once either designation is in play, subsection (c) requires the developer to hire a "person knowledgeable," meeting Virginia Nurserymen Certification experience standards, to prepare a site analysis documenting the presence of specimen or historic trees and shrubs before the planning commission reviews a preliminary or final plat.

The analysis must weigh whether proposed removal is justified by disease, damage, interference with buildings or utilities, or drainage impedance, and must propose alternative landscaping to protect the resource where practical. Subsection (e) sets a floor for the resulting landscaping plan: at least one tree retained or planted per townhouse unit, or one per four apartment units, with a healthy retained natural tree counted as two planted trees, and replanted trees at least two inches in caliper. The planning commission may grant variances from these requirements if the underlying protective purpose is still met.

Enforcement runs through the department of planning under subsection (f): after final plat approval, the developer must obtain a landscaping permit and pay the fee set in Sec. 70-191, and city staff conduct a field inspection once the required landscaping is complete to confirm compliance before the plan is closed out.