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

Sec. 35-1(c) defines a 'heritage and/or landmark tree' as any oak tree that measures twenty-four inches or more in diameter when measured two feet above the ground, or an oak tree that is visually significant, historically significant, or exemplary in its species. Sec. 35-18 then bars removal of any such oak standing on city property unless the public works director gives prior written approval; there is no by-right removal even for a dying or storm-damaged heritage oak on city land. The ordinance carries a note tying it to the county measure it grew out of: the Salinas code text references 'Monterey Counties Ordinance No.

' In practice that means Salinas runs its own narrower heritage-oak rule rather than adopting the county ordinance wholesale, and the protection applies to city-owned property, not private residential lots. Removal without approval falls under the general Chapter 35 enforcement scheme: Sec. 35-16 makes a violation of any provision of the chapter a misdemeanor, and Sec. 35-19 separately declares chapter violations a public nuisance the city may abate. Because the definition turns on a two-foot-high diameter measurement, the director confirms the twenty-four-inch threshold before approving or denying any removal request.