Southfield, MI Tree Protection: Heritage & Protected Trees (2026)

Section 5.56(13) sets Southfield's landmark tree standard on two tracks. Any tree in the city measuring twenty-four inches D.B.H. or greater automatically qualifies regardless of species, and a companion table lists thirty-plus named genera and species, from arborvitae and beech at eighteen inches to redbud, dogwood, and hornbeam at eight inches, each with its own minimum diameter for landmark status. Meeting the size threshold is not enough on its own: § 5.56(13)(b) requires the tree to also score sixteen points or higher on a five-factor health chart covering trunk condition, growth rate, structure, pest presence, and life expectancy, each scored from 1 to 5.

A tree that hits the diameter cutoff but scores poorly on health does not count as a landmark tree. Removing or transplanting any landmark tree requires a tree permit under § 5.56(5)(a)(3), and unlike ordinary trees, landmark trees are carved out of the mandatory-approval categories in § 5.56(9), meaning even small-lot property owners cannot claim an automatic right to remove one. When a landmark tree removal is approved, § 5.56(13)(c) requires replacement trees totaling at least thirty percent of the removed tree's diameter, measured individually or cumulatively, with any cumulative replacement tree required to measure at least two and a half inches in diameter.

The Planning Department administers the permit and health scoring, and illegal removal exposes the responsible party to a civil fee equal to the tree's value under the International Society of Arboriculture shade tree formula, or a forced inch-for-inch replacement, under § 5.56(15).