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

Under the Emergency Tree Protection Ordinance adopted February 10, 2026, the City protects two categories of significant trees: (1) any tree located within a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service designated critical habitat area, and (2) any tree within a Monarch Butterfly overwintering site mapped in the City's 2050 General Plan, Chapter 8 (Environmental Resources), Figure 23, pages 187-188. These rules sit alongside SBMC Division 11 street-tree controls and the City Tree Master Plan adopted under the Parks Division. Property owners must check the USFWS critical habitat online mapper and the General Plan map before any trimming or removal. Heritage-quality eucalyptus groves along the coastal plain and Santa Clara River corridor are the principal Monarch overwintering stands. State-level Monarch and pollinator protections under Fish & Game Code §2080 (California Endangered Species Act) and federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act protections for nesting birds also apply during the active nesting season (typically February-August).