Kyle, TX Tree Protection: Protected Tree Species (2026)

Kyle's tree ordinance, § 54-12, sorts trees into protective tiers by trunk diameter rather than by an individual landmark designation. A 'protected tree' is defined at § 54-12(c)(6) as any tree 'with a diameter between 12 and 24.9999 inches,' measured under the caliper and circumference methods in § 54-12(c)(1)-(2), four and a half feet above the ground. A 'specimen tree' under § 54-12(c)(12) is any tree that meets or exceeds the diameter shown in Table 1 and is otherwise healthy: relatively upright and sound, with a solid trunk having no extensive decay, no more than one major dead limb, no major insect or pathological problems, no topping damage, and at least 75 percent of its critical root zone undisturbed.

Table 1 sets species-specific specimen thresholds rather than one number for every tree: live oak, bur oak, Chinkapin oak, Texas red oak, Shumard red oak, pecan, mesquite, black walnut, cedar elm, anaqua and Mexican sycamore are all set at 24 inches, while Texas persimmon, Texas redbud and Texas mountain laurel, understory species that rarely reach that girth, are set at 8 inches. A handful of fast-growing or invasive species, hackberry, Ashe and eastern red cedar, chinaberry, mesquite, ligustrum, Arizona ash and cottonwood, are exempt from mitigation entirely under § 54-12(d)(2), except that Ashe and eastern red cedar 25 inches or larger still need a removal review to protect golden-cheeked warbler habitat.

The size tiers set which review a removal needs: any protected tree 12 inches and up needs written director approval, while specimen trees, 24 or 8 inches and up depending on species, need Planning and Zoning Commission approval and a 2:1 inch-for-inch replacement.