Blaine, MN Tree Protection: Parkway Planting (2026)

The City of Blaine's forestry program, run under the city forester's direction, controls what gets planted in the boulevard, the ribbon of street right-of-way between the curb and the property line, as defined at City Code § 74-6. Under § 90-65, any tree placed on public property, including that boulevard strip, has to conform to the location, cultivar or variety, and planting specifications the city forester signs off on; there is no citywide species list printed in the code itself, so a resident or contractor needs forester sign-off before planting in the right-of-way. The rule sits inside article III of chapter 90, Shade Tree Management, the same article that lets the forester designate Dutch elm and oak wilt control areas and abate nuisance trees at owner expense under §§ 90-56 through 90-63.

Zoning layers a second, quantified planting mandate onto new single-family construction. Section 109-120(21), the Single-Family (R-1) standards section, requires every lot to carry two front-yard overstory deciduous trees of at least 2½-inch caliper (one of which may be swapped for a six-foot conifer or two 2-inch ornamentals), plus one extra overstory tree in the side corner yard on corner lots, and additionally requires corner lots to plant a boulevard tree along the corner side yard. All of it has to meet what the section calls the city's residential tree planting requirements, tying the zoning mandate back to the forester's specifications in § 90-65. Landscaping must be installed by certificate-of-occupancy time for permits issued May 15 to October 15, or secured with a cash deposit otherwise.