Cleveland, OH Tree Protection: Protected Tree Species (2026)

16 records Council's finding that Dutch Elm disease and the virus disease Phloem Necrosis, known as Elm Blight, threaten shade trees in Cleveland's streets and public grounds, and that discovering and controlling these diseases is necessary to preserve the City's trees. 17 then authorizes the Commissioner of Shade Trees to inspect any tree in the City reported or suspected to be infected with either disease. If a public tree tests positive, the Commissioner must immediately remove and burn it to contain the outbreak. If the infected tree sits on private property, the Commissioner must serve the owner written notice that the tree is infected and must be removed and burned under the Commissioner's supervision within 5 days; if the owner can't be found, the notice is posted on the tree itself.

An owner who doesn't remove and burn the tree within that 5-day window has it removed and burned by the Commissioner anyway, with the cost reported to the owner (if locatable) and to Council; unpaid costs after 30 days can be assessed by Council the same way other nuisance-abatement costs are assessed against the property. S. Department of Agriculture Station, and the Commissioner's action awaits that report. Unlike the general Chapter 509 tree offenses, these three sections are species-specific, targeting only elms rather than street trees generally.