Coeur d'Alene, ID Tree Protection: Protected Tree Species (2026)

Chapter 12.36 protects trees by where they stand and how big they are, not by species name. A public tree or shrub is one with 51 percent or more of the trunk or shrub base at ground level on public right of way. The chapter also defines a significant tree as one at least six inches in diameter at four and one-half feet above grade, and a grand scale tree as one at least twenty inches in diameter at that height, or forty five feet tall regardless of diameter within twenty feet of a public street. The species list in section 12.36.400 controls what can be planted, not what is protected.

Section 12.36.460 requires a tree protection plan, prepared by the developer or contractor, for any project where a FAR bonus is sought for preserving a grand scale tree on private property and for any construction inside the tree protection zone of a public tree. The zone is a circle centered on the tree with a radius of one foot for every inch of tree diameter. The plan must acknowledge that no equipment or materials are used or stored in the zone, commit to protective fencing four feet high with posts no more than six feet apart for the whole job, place four approved signs on the fencing, and describe mulch at least two inches deep (four to six inches in an approved encroachment area) and weekly watering of at least one inch from April 1 through October 31. The coordinator can allow encroachment of up to twenty five percent of the zone and no closer to the tree than one-half of the zone radius. No construction starts until the plan is approved, and the developer and contractor meet the coordinator on site within seven days of providing the required information.

Section 12.36.440 separately bans storing oil, gasoline or chemicals around public trees and shrubs, attaching wires, signs or power sources to them without the coordinator's authorization, dumping toxic waste over the root area, and damaging public roots by compacting or filling around the base.