Santa Fe, NM Tree Protection: Heritage & Protected Trees (2026)

1. On private development sites the land use director decides whether a significant tree must be preserved in place, relocated elsewhere on the property, or replaced; on land within the public right-of-way, in city parks, or otherwise city-owned, that call belongs to the public works director instead. The review criteria favor keeping trees that provide screening, buffering, wildlife habitat or habitat linkages, and trees selected for relocation must be healthy, free of serious insect or parasite infestation, and moved from soil conditions suited to survive the move; piñon (Pinus edulis) relocations are recommended between September 15 and May 15.

If relocation is not feasible, the developer must plant equivalent replacement stock, evergreens at least six feet tall and deciduous trees at least two inches in caliper, and irrigate the relocated or replacement tree until it is established. Removal of a significant tree without that approval is a violation: no deciduous tree of six-inch caliper or greater and no evergreen over eight feet tall can be cut down without land use director or public works director sign-off, except for the small-caliper noxious species carved out elsewhere in the same subsection.