<![CDATA[Merlin Arborist Group

In Sonoma County, both the Tree Protection Ordinance and the Oak Woodland Ordinance place restrictions on removing certain trees, particularly focusing on protected species and oak habitats. As a homeowner, here’s what you need to know and how an arborist can help you navigate these regulations:

In April, two new ordinances were passed in an effort to protect and maintain many of our native trees and habitats. These ordinances were meant to strengthen policies that were originally created in the 80’s and 90’s. They only apply to Sonoma County land, not within cities or the coastal zone. It is also important to note that the Tree Protection and Oak Woodland Ordinances are more focused on limiting tree removal for large scale land alteration and development.

Tree Protection Ordinance
This ordinance regulates the removal of protected trees that have a DBH (diameter at breast height) of 6” or more. If you need to remove one of these trees, you’ll typically need a Zoning Permit unless your property qualifies for an exemption. These trees include:

Big Leaf Maple
Black Oak
Blue Oak
Boxelder
California Black Walnut
California Buckeye
Canyon Live Oak
Coast Live Oak
Cottonwood species
Interior Live Oak
Madrone
Oregon Ash
Oregon Oak
Red or White Alder
Valley Oak
Willow species

Cypress species (selected)
Grand Fir
Pine species (selected)
Redwood
Western Hemlock

*Some common species that are NOT protected are the California bay, ponderosa pine and Douglas fir.

Oak Woodland Ordinance
This ordinance specifically protects oak-dominated habitats. If your property falls within an oak woodland area, more stringent rules apply. For significant tree removals or habitat changes, you may need a Use Permit and a mitigation plan.
Under the new ordinances, if you would like to remove a protected tree from your property, it may require a permit application, site plan and justification for removal as well as mitigation through replanting or paying an in-lieu fee of $510 per arboreal value point if replacement isn’t feasible.
There are a number of exemptions to these ordinances including fire risk reduction, property maintenance, hazardous, dead or dying trees, pest control, forest management, resource management and maintaining existing agricultural activities. These can allow homeowners to remove protected trees without the permitting and fees.

How an Arborist Can Help

Assessing tree health and risk: They can confirm if a tree qualifies for removal due to safety or disease.
Navigating permits and paperwork: Arborists can evaluate whether your tree qualifies for exemption and prepare required documentation.
Creating mitigation plans: If removal requires replanting or conservation efforts, an arborist can design a compliant mitigation strategy.

For more detailed information, you can visit Permit Sonoma's resources directly at permitsonoma.org.

As spring arrives and the apple, quince and pear trees of Sonoma County bloom, fire blight can become a major issue. While spring is the peak season for fire blight, this continues through the summer!

Fire blight (caused by the bacteria Erwinia amylovora) affects many plants in the Rosaceae family, but pear, quince and apple trees are particularly susceptible.

Spread:
In the spring, fire blight spreads most easily when trees are blooming, daytime temperatures are between 75ºF and 85ºF and the weather is rainy or humid. Cankers on the trunk and branches of infected trees begin to ooze a watery liquid that becomes dark after exposure to air. Insects are attracted to the sweet liquid and subsequently spread the infection to flowers and wounds on nearby susceptible trees.

Infected blossoms and stems will initially look water soaked and gray, then they will shrivel and turn brown or black. Once bacteria enter a wound or flower, they spread via the vascular system of the tree. Leaves on diseased shoots may have a blackened midrib and veins, and a hook shape may form at the end of a diseased shoot. In older wood, cankers will form. Older cankers will be brown, dried out and may have a sunken look with cracked bark. The infection can spread two to three feet beyond the canker, and the wood will be streaked with red in areas where the infection is spreading.

Management:
In the spring and summer, prune out blight where you see it. Summer cuts must be at least 12 to 18 inches below the edge of a visible canker or infection site, because the bacteria is actively spreading in the vascular system. Try to cut into 2 year old or older wood.

In the winter, prune diseased twigs and branches when the tree and bacteria are dormant. Winter cuts can be less aggressive - cutting at least 8 inches below the canker is recommended. Sterilize pruning tools between each cut with diluted bleach or Lysol.

If the infection has reached the main trunk of the tree, the tree will die. In this case it is best to cut the tree to a stump to prevent spread to other trees.

Best practices:

Avoid heavy pruning and heavy nitrogen fertilization. This stimulates a lot of new growth, and young shoots are more susceptible to infection.

Avoid irrigation during the blooming period. The extra moisture can facilitate the spread of fire blight.

Unsure how to go about pruning to control fire blight? We are happy to help you with your fruit tree pruning needs!

Course topics include: Principles of urban forestry, arboriculture careers, and tree care; including tree biology, tree identification, plant health care, soils, nutrition, planting, worker safety, climbing, pruning, tree risk assessment, tree care tools and equipment. This course provides the knowledge necessary to be successful in the tree care profession. This course also prepares students for the International Society of Arboriculture's (ISA) Arborist Certification examination.

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