Taylor, MI Tree Protection: Protected Tree Species (2026)

Sec. 16.03(b) of the Taylor Zoning Ordinance requires a tree removal permit from the development services department before removing or relocating any tree with a diameter at breast height (DBH) of six inches or greater anywhere in the city, and separately prohibits removing, damaging or destroying a landmark tree, or any tree within a forest, without that same permit. Subsection (b)(7) and Table 16.03 define which species carry landmark status once they reach a listed DBH: locust at 24 inches, black walnut, white walnut and oak at 20 inches, arborvitae, American basswood, American beech, birch, Douglas fir, ginkgo, hickory, Kentucky coffeetree, larch, London planetree, maple, pine, spruce, tuliptree and wild cherry at 18 inches, black alder, black tupelo, cedar and crabapple at 12 inches, sassafras at 15 inches, and flowering dogwood and nonnutbearing American chestnut at 8 inches, the lowest thresholds on the table.

Permit applications must identify the owner or occupant, the legal description of the property, a description of each tree proposed for removal, and a description of the affected area afterward. The development services department reviews applications against factors in (b)(6), including soil quality, habitat quality, species diversity, tree size and density, health and vigor, and value as an environmental asset such as cooling effect, and may deny removal where a reasonable alternative site plan exists. Agricultural and nursery operations, occupied lots under two acres, utility companies, public tree-trimming agencies, and diseased or dying ash trees are exempt from the permit requirement under (b)(2).