Prince George's County, MD Tree Protection: Heritage & Protected Trees (2026)

County Code Section 25-118 defines a "Specimen tree" as one "having a diameter at breast height of 30 inches or more," one at "75% or more of the diameter at breast height of the current champion of that species," or any tree that is "a particularly impressive or unusual example of a species due to its size, shape, age or any other trait," a definition that also sweeps in every federally, state, county, or municipally designated champion tree. Section 25-119(d)(2)(A) makes a variance mandatory, not discretionary, whenever a Tree Conservation Plan would impact or remove a specimen tree, champion tree, or tree associated with a historic site or structure.

If the Planning Board or Planning Director grants that variance, Section 25-119(d)(7) requires the applicant to replace the tree under the Technical Manual's standards, separate from any other planting requirement, and if replacement in kind is not feasible, the applicant must pay into the county's Specimen and Historic Tree Fund. Section 25-120(e) sets that fee at "$500 per 2 inches of tree caliper required for replacement," adjusted annually for inflation using the federal Consumer Price Index, with the money restricted to reforestation, afforestation, and urban tree canopy projects and barred from reverting to the county's general fund. A TCP minor revision cannot proceed if it would adversely affect a specimen, champion, or historic tree specifically identified for preservation under Section 25-119(c)(4)(A).