Boston, MA Tree Protection: Protected Tree Species (2026)

7 splits protection into two tracks. L. Chapter 87, weighing tree health, growing conditions, and whether construction can be redesigned to save the tree. If a healthy public shade tree is removed at an owner's request, it must be replaced near the original location; if replacement isn't feasible, the applicant pays $550 per caliper inch (DBH), a fee the Department reviews every three years and refunds if replacement later becomes possible. City property trees (parks, Boston Water and Sewer Commission, Boston Housing Authority, Boston Public Schools, BPDA, and other city-building grounds) get a separate track: no removal without an opportunity for public comment at a noticed meeting or hearing, unless the tree is under 3 inches DBH, or a certified arborist or the Tree Warden finds it dead, dying, diseased, hazardous, invasive, or needed for pest suppression, or an emergency makes review impracticable.

Abutters within 300 feet of the parcel may appeal a Tree Warden decision on a city property tree to the Parks and Recreation Commission within 30 calendar days. Work within a tree's Critical Root Zone, including excavation, must comply with standards the Department, Public Works, and Transportation Departments jointly issue, and compliance is a condition of any city excavation or construction permit. The Arnold Arboretum, Boston Public Garden, and conservation-designated urban wilds are exempt.