Ventura, CA Tree Protection: Protected Tree Species (2026)

Under the Emergency Tree Protection Ordinance (effective Feb 10, 2026), any tree located within a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service designated critical habitat area, or within a Monarch Butterfly overwintering site identified in the 2050 General Plan Chapter 8, Figure 23, is protected regardless of species. Coastal eucalyptus and Monterey cypress groves used by Monarchs are the principal in-city examples. State law layers additional protections: California Endangered Species Act (Fish & Game Code §2080) prohibits take of any species listed as threatened or endangered, which includes nesting habitat trees for listed birds. The federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act (16 U.S.C. §703) protects active nests of native migratory birds in any tree during the nesting season (commonly February-August). Native oaks (Quercus spp.) on the coastal plain are not subject to a separate Ventura city heritage-oak ordinance the way they are in some Ventura County unincorporated areas, but riparian native trees along the Santa Clara River are typically regulated through CDFW Streambed Alteration Agreements (Fish & Game Code §1602) for any work in or near the streambed.