Trees are a precious natural resource. They benefit our environment and beautify our homes and properties. We work to protect and manage this valuable community resource so we can all enjoy a beautiful community full of trees.
On this page:
About tree bylaws and management
Kitchener’s urban forest covers about 27% of our land base. It includes all trees growing on public and private lands, including trees in the downtown, old and new neighbourhoods, commercial and institutional lands, city parks, and natural areas. It is a dominant part of our green infrastructure, providing valuable ecological and hydrological functions and processes to the community.
Our Sustainable Urban Forest Strategy provides a vision, goal and five branches for a sustainable urban forest. It is important to conserve and manage our existing urban forest on public and private lands to achieve our tree canopy target of 30% for each ward by 2050 and 33% city-wide by 2070.
Our approach to tree conservation and management is guided by:
- public tree bylaw: protects city-owned trees from damage, injury or destruction
- private tree bylaw: protects trees on private properties from damage, injury or destruction
- tree management policy: provides requirements to manage trees through the development process
Trees on public property
Trees located within road rights-of-way, boulevards and parks are city-owned and, therefore, are public trees. Caring for and removing those trees is our responsibility. Damaging or removing these trees can result in criminal charges.
If you’re unsure if a tree is ours, call us at 519-741-2345 or send us an email.
Our public tree bylaw protects city-owned trees from damage, injury or destruction.
We’re looking at updating our tools for conserving and managing trees on public land, including the public tree bylaw and the tree management policy. Visit our Engage Kitchener page to get involved.
Tree maintenance for city-owned trees
Tree maintenance of city-owned trees is taking place year-round. Visit our tree planting and maintenance page to learn about our service levels for public tree maintenance, removals, planting and more.
Tree safety issues
If you have a concern or question about a city tree, please call us at 519-741-2345 or send us an email. We specifically want to know about tree risk issues, including dead or dangerous-looking trees or other safety issues.
Trees on private property
Our private tree bylaw protects trees on private properties from damage, injury or destruction.
Tree removals on private property
You may need a tree conservation permit to remove a tree from a property larger than 0.405 hectares or one acre.
You do not need a permit for:
- removing trees that are less than 10 cm in diameter at chest height
- removing dead, diseased or hazardous trees when certified as such by an individual designated or approved by our director of planning
- removing damaged or destroyed tree when certified as such by an individual designated or approved by our director of planning, where the removal is in the interest of public safety, health or general welfare following any man-made or natural disasters, storms, high winds, floods, fires, snowfall or freezes
- removing trees located within five metres (16.4 feet) of an occupied building
- when a building permit has already been issued for the work
- pruning a tree, as long as the pruning is done in a manner that does not harm the tree
If you’re not sure if you need a permit, send us an email.
Request a tree conservation permit
Follow these steps to request a tree conservation permit:
- download the application form
- complete the application form and collect the required materials (listed below)
- send the application form and required materials to staff by email
Your application must include:
- a fully completed application form
- a copy of a detailed plan or survey
- payment of the required fee
- written consent from adjacent property owners if trees straddle a property line (if applicable)
If all the trees you’re removing are dead, dying or hazardous, contact our planning division to ask if you need a permit.
Tree removals on private property during development
When removing trees as part of the development of a piece of land, we will need:
- a general vegetation overview
- a detailed vegetation plan or tree preservation plan
You must include these documents in your development application.