Lee's Summit, MO Tree Protection: Protected Tree Species (2026)

The UDO's landscaping and tree-protection division defines which trees earn protected status by both condition and species-based size at Sec. 8.710(B)(14). A tree qualifies as a 'significant tree' if it is 'in fair or better condition' (life expectancy over 15 years, sound trunk, no extensive decay or insect infestation) and meets a species-tied size threshold: 'Hardwood trees such as oaks and hickories that are of a 12-inch caliper or more and soft-wood trees such as pines and cedars, which are 16 feet in height or more, and small hardwoods such as dogwoods, redbuds or sourwoods with calipers of 6 inches or more shall be considered significant trees due to size.' That classification is not decorative: Sec.

8.740(A) requires any grading, bulldozing or vegetation removal that could affect existing tree coverage to be preceded by an approved tree conservation plan showing every significant tree and every other tree of ten-inch caliper or larger to be removed or retained. The removal restriction is explicit for the preliminary version of that plan used on industrial park sites: 'Removal of significant trees and other trees ten-inch caliper or larger shall be permitted only in conjunction with an approved preliminary tree conservation plan, an approved grading plan, and actual grading of building pads (i.e., not simply to clear the lot)' (Sec.

8.740(A)(2)(f)). Trees below the species-specific caliper or height thresholds, such as a young oak under 12 inches or a cedar under 16 feet, are not 'significant' under this definition and fall outside the conservation-plan protection, though they can still count toward the landscaping tree-replacement credits at Sec. 8.750.