Martin County, FL Tree Protection: Protected Tree Species (2026)

LDR Sec. A, in Article 4, Division 15 of the Land Development Regulations, protects any native hardwood tree of eight inches DBH or greater anywhere on a site, any native hardwood four inches DBH or greater (or native softwood, including pine, eight inches DBH or greater) located in a site's perimeter area, and any tree standing inside a canopy road tree protection zone. Before construction begins, Sec. B requires the developer to locate every protected tree within 75 percent of its canopy drip-line on the tree survey and fence its critical protection zone with quarter-inch yellow or orange rope strung a minimum of four feet off the ground on 2x2 posts, rebar or PVC pipe; construction activity within 15 feet of the zone must also be flagged.

A protected tree can only come down if the applicant shows one of the Sec. C grounds: it is a safety hazard, diseased or pest-infested, needed to reduce competition or remove exotics, or removal is essential for reasonable use of the property, such as equipment access within 20 feet of a structure or a driveway with no alternate route. Removing a protected tree requires a replanting plan under Sec. D, scaled to a table of minimum replacement tree credits by diameter, for example a tree over 60 inches DBH requires 30 replacement credits; removing a protected tree without a permit doubles the required replacement credits.

Under Sec. E, development must preserve at least ten percent of a site's protected trees unless the applicant demonstrates the property would otherwise be precluded from reasonable use.