Jacksonville, NC Tree Protection: Heritage & Protected Trees (2026)

Sec. 15-75 defines a 'historic tree' as one found by a professional forester, horticulturist or other professional plantsman to be of notable historic interest to the city because of its age, type, size or historic association, once that designation is officially promulgated as part of the city's official records. A 'specimen tree' uses a similar process but turns on high value from type, size, age or other professional criteria rather than historic association. Sec. 15-77(b) then governs what the designation actually does: the city takes special note of historic and specimen trees on public property, and marks the designation by an appropriate inscription placed near the tree, which the code says reflects the pride the community holds for its trees.

The designation itself carries no separate penalty section; a historic or specimen tree still falls under the same general public-tree rules as any other street or park tree; the topping ban in Sec. 15-78 and the pruning/removal permit in Sec. 15-82 apply to it exactly as they would to an undesignated tree, since neither section carves out a distinct standard for a marked tree.