Yakima, WA Tree Protection: Heritage & Protected Trees (2026)

There is no provision in the Yakima Municipal Code that establishes a heritage-tree, historic-tree, or specimen-tree register or that grants enhanced protection to individual private trees based on age, species, or trunk diameter. The Yakima Tree Board, established by Ordinance No. 2016-032 on December 6, 2016, is responsible for studying, investigating, developing, updating, and administering a written plan for the care, preservation, pruning, planting, replanting, removal, or disposition of trees and other plantings in City parks, along City streets, and in other City-owned public areas — its jurisdiction is City-owned trees, not private specimen trees. Yakima earned Tree City USA designation from the Arbor Day Foundation in 2017; this is an honorary urban-forestry recognition tied to having a tree board, a public-tree ordinance (YMC 8.77), an urban-forestry budget, and an Arbor Day observance — it is not a heritage-tree statute. Property owners with notable private trees can voluntarily seek recognition through groups like the Yakima Area Arboretum, but no city law gives those trees special legal status.