Placer County, CA Tree Protection: Heritage & Protected Trees (2026)

020 defines a "landmark tree" as a tree or grove of trees designated by resolution of the Board of Supervisors to be of historical or cultural value, an outstanding specimen, an unusual species, or of significant community benefit; notably, a tree that is not native to California can still qualify. The county parks division was directed to compile a starting list of landmark trees, citing examples such as the palms along English Colony Road, oak canopy tree areas, the Deodar cedars on Highway 49, and major heritage oaks.

030(E) makes the protection concrete: no landmark tree may be removed without obtaining a tree permit, and, except for the exemption covering trees that are an immediate danger from storm or fire damage, a landmark tree is not subject to any of the article's other standard exemptions, such as the exemptions for dying/unhealthy trees, utility conflicts, or agricultural use. That is a materially tighter standard than the one applied to ordinary protected native or riparian trees, which can be removed without a permit under several listed circumstances.

Because landmark designation runs with the tree rather than the property line, a subsequent owner remains bound by the designation and the permit requirement. The Tahoe Basin lies outside this county article's reach; any landmark or heritage-tree designation process in the Tahoe Basin would instead run through the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, not through Placer County's Board of Supervisors resolution process described here.