Site Visit:

TREES FOR OAKLAND
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After we receive your Tree Request Form, we'll schedule a site-visit with you.

We follow the City of Oakland's Tree Planting Guidelines found here.

Before we meet:

  • We'll visit the location to be planted, and mark the sidewalk for Underground Service Alert (8-1-1, "call before you dig").  
    • Our marks will be made with white spray paint, or white chalk during the summer (when there is no risk of rain washing it away). 
    • We'll submit a ticket to USA
    • USA will contact utility members 
Utility members will mark:
  • Red for Electric
    • ​PG&E
  • Orange for Communication
    • ​AT&T or MCI
  • Yellow for Gas
    • ​PG&E
  • Blue for Water
    • ​EBMUD
  • Green for Sewer
    • EBMUD

During our visit, we'll look for the following:
Size Categories & Spacing of Trees:
Overhead high-voltage wires*
  • If yes, we adhere to a City of Oakland restriction and choose trees that will not grow to be within 10' of the wires. 
    • Typical wires are 35' up, so Oakland will not allow a tree taller than 25' at maturity, but we cannot use our grant for such a small tree.
    • If the wires are taller than 35', we might be able to plant a grant-eligible tree, but still with a mature height at least 10' below the high-voltage wires.
No-tree zones
  • in "bus zones", 40' back from the bus-stop sign - if sidewalk is 15' wide or less
  • in blue curb (handicap parking) zones
  • if sidewalk is less than 6' wide:
    • minimum 3' (36") of paved width per the American Disability Act, but 4' (48") preferred under the California Building Code
    • 2' for a "Small" tree-well (City of Oakland standard), or 3' for a "Medium" tree-well that satisfies our grant
Clearance
​
(measured from center of tree trunk to edge of utility)
  • 5 feet from
    • underground utilities (marked)
    • aboveground utilities 
    • fire hydrants
    • utility poles
    • utility boxes
    • driveway curb-cuts
    • "No Parking" (street-sweeping) signs
    • roof drains
  • 10 feet from
    • fire escapes
  • 20 feet from
    • street lights
    • traffic signals
    • ​traffic-regulating signs such as "Stop" or "Yield"
    • other existing "official trees"
Utility pole guy wires must be kept free of contact from vegetation.
A "tree basin" or "tree well" is the square or rectangle of open soil surrounded by the sidewalk.
Some sidewalks have a continuous "planting strip" of grass or bare soil. 

We offer FOUR (4) categories of trees based on the size of the tree basin:
  • We aim to plant as big a tree as possible in the available space.
  • Oakland has set one set of standards for the size categories of street trees, but to qualify for our CAL FIRE grant as a "free tree", each tree must have at least 24 square feet of open soil and reach at least 25' tall at maturity.
    • This gives the tree the best chance to establish strong roots and live long. 
    • The bigger the tree, the more carbon it will sequester - which is the point of the CAL FIRE grant.
  • Tree basins that meet the Oakland standard but are too small to meet the CAL FIRE standard will not be paid for by the grant.
Small:
  • 2 feet x 3 feet
  • continuous planting strip at least 2 feet wide
  • no Small trees are CAL FIRE eligible*
​Medium (City of Oakland standards)
  • 4 feet x 4 feet
  • 3 feet x 6 feet
  • continuous planting strip of at least 3 feet wide
Medium (CAL FIRE eligible):
  • 3 feet x 8 feet
  • 3.5 feet (42 inches) x 7 feet
  • continuous planting strip of at least 3 feet wide
Large
  • 4 feet x 6 feet
  • 5 feet x 5 feet 
  • continuous planting strip of at least 4 feet wide
  • all Large trees are CAL FIRE eligible
Extra-large
  • 6 feet x 8 feet
  • continuous planting strip of at least 6 feet wide
  • all Extra-large trees are CAL FIRE eligible

Spacing between trees
A plant community canopy consists of one or more plant crowns growing in a given area. The crown of a tree is the branches, leaves, and reproductive structures extending from the trunk or main stems.
  • Oakland requires at least 20 feet (trunk-to-trunk) between trees. (Other cities allow small or narrow trees to be spaced closer together, such as 15 feet apart.)
  • Larger trees may be better suited to be spaced farther apart (25-35 feet), depending on crown spread 
* We cannot use our CAL FIRE grant to pay for a "Small-stature" tree, which usually corresponds to planting strips that are less than 3' wide or have high-voltage wires less than 40' overhead.   You can plant your own small-stature tree and fill out the City's "plant-your-own" form, or we can refer you to another local tree-planting organization.  Other organizations might charge a nominal fee-for-service or might have other grants or donations to make the tree free to you.
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510-969-0185
 
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  • Home
  • About Us
  • How to Get a Tree
  • Volunteering
  • Donate
  • Tree Care
  • Help us spread the word!
  • FAQs
  • Benefits of Trees!
  • Press
  • Our Media
  • Friends & Resources