Huntington, NY Tree Protection: Protected Tree Species (2026)

S. Champion tree recognized by the American Forestry Association. That designation matters because the Department of Planning and Environment's tree-removal review under § 186-10 must weigh, among other factors, whether the tree is a Landmark Tree and the effect of removal on habitat, including the loss of species designated endangered, threatened or of special concern by the New York State DEC, or the loss of any New York State protected plant species. Applications must also state whether the tree in question is a Landmark Tree, and photographic documentation and a mitigation plan are required.

Because Landmark Trees fall outside several of the ordinary exemptions (they cannot be removed under the utility, nursery-and-farm, or surveying-access exemptions the way ordinary trees can), a rare, endangered or Champion tree gets review even when a similar-sized ordinary tree would not. Violations of Chapter 186 involving any protected tree carry fines of $300 to $750 per tree, or $3,000 to $15,000 per acre for woodland, trebled for unauthorized removal on Town property, plus up to 15 days imprisonment and mandatory replacement planting or payment of replacement value under the Council of Tree and Landscape Appraisers' guide.