Division of Park Maintenance & Properties

Urban Forestry

Urban Forestry Commission

216.664.3104 - Weekdays 8:00 am to 4:30 pm

The goal of Urban Forestry is to provide a safe urban forest while striving to preserve its natural beauty. This office's activities include the pruning of street trees, the removal of trees that are a risk to public safety, and the planting of street trees (when funding is available).

The City of Cleveland’s Urban Forestry Commission serves in an advisory capacity to assist the Mayor, Cleveland City Council, the Division of Urban Forestry, and the City Planning Commission in ensuring that the many benefits trees provide to citizens of the City are realized. The Urban Forestry Commission holds quarterly public meetings. Meetings dates are posted on www.sustainablecleveland.org , live-streamed on Sustainable Cleveland's YouTube page and broadcast to the TV20 Channel.

Request Service on a Public Tree

You can request tree care for public trees along streets, in tree lawns, parks, and vacant lots. You can also request a free tree planting on your tree lawn!

Request Tree Service

Note: You will need to create an account to request service.

Frequently Asked Questions

You can request a tree by calling in to 311 or to the Division of Urban Forestry Offices at 216-664-3104 - Weekdays 8:00 am to 4:30 pm

Urban Forestry plants trees as funding permits and wait times are unpredictable. Once your request gets funded, you will receive notice at least two weeks prior to planting.

To perform work on city managed trees a completed permit application must be submitted and approved. Often an inspection by a city forester will be required to determine if work is necessary. Some work requires the individual or organization who performs the work to be credentialed, licensed, and insured. Review the Terms and Conditions of the Permit Application for additional details.

Urban Forestry Tree Work Permit Application

Urban Forestry permits are required for any pruning/trimming, removal, planting, root pruning, and stump grinding of trees no City managed lands. Work which may adversely affect trees on city managed lands such as excavation in proximity to the trunk may also require a permit.

Permits are also issued for development projects in accordance with Cleveland Codified Ordinances.

Urban Forestry Tree Work Permit Application

The city does not regulate trees on private property. Property owners are encouraged to:

  • Trim parts of the tree that intrude into their airspace (within legal limits).
  • Communicate with neighbors about shared concerns.
  • Consider filing claims through homeowners’ insurance if damage occurs.
  • For tree lawn vegetation issues, contact the Bureau of Sidewalks.
  • For other overgrown vegetation on city property, call 3-1-1 for an assessment by the Vacant Property team.

The City only prunes trees for right of way clearance and/or home clearance, it does not prune trees due to interference with electrical lines. The electrical providers are responsible for maintaining their lines. If the tree is growing into the wires and disrupting service contact the service provider responsible for the lines. This is most likely Cleveland Public Power or First Energy. We recommend you contact CPP first if the owner of the lines is unknown.

If a tree in front of your home needs to be pruned back from the street or your home, contact 311 or reach out to the Division of Urban Forestry at 216-664-3104 - Weekdays 8:00 am to 4:30 pm so we can create a service request for the work to be assessed.

  • If the tree was removed recently: The contractor has 14 days to complete the removal, including stump grinding and restoration.
  • If it has been over two weeks: Call the Division of Urban Forestry at 216-664-3104 - Weekdays 8:00 am to 4:30 pm. Stumps are addressed in the order of the oldest work orders.

Submit a request through the 311 Portal or by calling the Division of Urban Forestry at 216-664-3104 - Weekdays 8:00 am to 4:30 pm. Urban Forestry can check to see if an updated inspection has been performed. If not, a service request will be initiated, and the inspection will occur within 30-45 days.

Funding for vacant lot trees is limited and reserved for emergencies, such as:

  • Trees fallen on structures.
  • Trees blocking private property or driveways.
  • Trees causing damage to structures, e.g., branches knocking gutters.

If it is an emergency contact 311 so a dispatcher can relay your emergency to one of our on-call foresters.

A tree fallen on a structure, blocking private property or driveways, or causing damage to structures is considered an emergency. If it is a tree emergency contact 311 so a dispatcher can relay your emergency to one of our on-call foresters.

Tree Roots in Sewers

Contrary to popular belief, tree roots do not break water or sewer lines.  Tree roots get into sewers when a sewer pipe develops a crack or other damage and nutrients and moisture leak into the soil, attracting the roots. Root penetration can be remedied by repairing the faulty sewer pipe and ridding the pipe of roots.

Sewer lines from the home to the main line should be maintained by the homeowner as part of routine maintenance, if tree roots have entered the pipes, they can be treated by a licensed sewer contractor.

  • If you are enrolled in the line protection program: Contact Cleveland Water for your home protection program service at 1-888-822-6945.
  • If you are not enrolled in the line protection program AND you are not experiencing a water or sewer backup: Urban Forestry can inspect the tree within 30-45 days. While a Divisional forester will inspect the tree to determine if it is dead, diseased, or infested.

    The city does not remove healthy trees when roots enter sewer lines between the home the main line. Our forester will provide a handout on treating sewer and water lines for tree roots during their visit. A copy can also be obtained by calling the Division of Urban Forestry at 216.664.3104 - Weekdays 8:00 am to 4:30 pm.
    • For more information on the line protection program, call 1-888-822-6945 or visit clevelandwaterlineprograms.com.
  • If you are not enrolled in the line protection program AND you are experiencing a water or sewer backup: Contact the Division of Water Pollution Control Customer Service Center at 216-664-2513 to request an inspector to check the main sewer.

If you are not enrolled in the line protection program: You must hire a licensed and bonded sewer builder to resolve the issue. They must obtain a permit(s) if repairs to the connection are necessary. A list of registered sewer builders can be obtained by calling the Division of Assessments & Licenses at 216-664-2170.

If you are enrolled in the line protection program: Contact Cleveland Water for your home protection program service at 1-888-822-6945.

A permit application for root pruning or tree removal must be submitted to the Division of Urban Forestry. Upon receipt of the application a Divisional forester will inspect the tree to determine if pruning or removal of the tree is required to perform the repair. Prior to our visit, Urban Forestry will require the following:

  1. A completed permit application for root pruning or tree removal. A copy of the permit applications can be obtained by calling the Division of Urban Forestry at 216.664.3104 - Weekdays 8:00 am to 4:30 pm
  2. A permit from the Department of Building & Housing if the plumber is digging in your yard. Contact 216-664-2910
  3. A permit from the Division of Water Pollution Control if digging in the tree lawn. Contact at 216-664-2513 or learn more at https://www.clevelandwpc.com/permits
  4. An agreement signed between you and your plumber for the repair.

Urban Forestry will coordinate with your plumber to determine the scope of work. If the work requires removal of the tree, Urban Forestry will take on the cost of removal and schedule its removal within 2 business days.

Treating Defective Sewer and Water Lines for Tree Roots

The City of Cleveland sometimes receives calls from distressed property owners who are experiencing sewer backups. Following a backup, property owners will discover roots in their sewers and place blame on street trees for their sewer problems.

Tree roots require water and oxygen to grow. They do not grow in pipes that are full of water, or where high groundwater conditions prevail. Roots naturally thrive in the warm, moist, nutrient rich soil well above sanitary sewers.

The flow of water inside a cracked or broken sewer service line causes water and oxygen to escape to the soil surrounding the pipe. Tree roots are attracted to the water and oxygen leaving a pipe, and they follow the trail to the source of the water and oxygen. Contrary to popular belief, it is a fact that tree roots do not break water or sewer lines. (Watson, et al. "The Management of Tree Root Systems in Urban and Suburban Settings II: A Review of Strategies to Mitigate Human Impacts", Arboriculture & Urban Forestry 40(5): Sept 2014: 249-271. Print.)

Much like gutters should be cleaned of debris to prevent gutter overflow, each homeowner is responsible for annual maintenance of their sewer laterals. This is the pipe that connects the sewer pipes in the house to the main sewer pipe, which is usually at the street. Because the pipes are buried and out of sight, homeowners usually don’t have any clues to potential problems in their laterals until it is too late.

Should roots become a problem in your sewer line, consult the yellow pages under the heading, "Sewer Contractors," for companies that perform television inspections of pipes and offer root control options. The contractor can clear the roots out of the lines using an auger or similar boring instrument.

Other Options for Residents to Control Roots in Pipes

Snake sewer lines every 12-18 months to ensure proper flow. You can also use a foaming root killer. Follow the manufacturer’s label instructions and use the appropriate amount for the application. Do not use rock salt or copper sulphate as it has been shown to be problematic in streams and sewers.

Sewer pipe replacement with PVC pipe will offer a more permanent solution to the problem. It is important to note that PVC pipe is only permissible for the connection from the structure to the City sewer, which includes Test tee riser to main sewer. The City sewer connection is always vitrified clay pipe per ordinance. Remember, removing the tree will not resolve the issue of cracked and broken pipes.

Tree Roots show no mercy and once they enter your sewer line you have a battle as a property owner. As time goes by the tree roots will begin spreading the joints allowing thicker tree roots to enter the sewer line. Start your preventative maintenance program and get foaming root killer working for you. Remember to follow the manufacturer’s label for application rates.

diagram of tree roots blocking sewer pipe

A tree root takes advantage of a cracked joint in a clay pipe system. This is an example of how tree roots can enter underground water and sewer pipes.

Threats From Insects

According to the United States Department of Agriculture, more than 75 percent of the Earth’s flowering plants depend on bees, butterflies, birds, bats, and other pollinators. Therefore, Urban Forestry does not exterminate bee nests.

Urban Forestry may remove stinging insect nests in trees if they can be reached from the ground. We do not put operators in lifts to spray nests because there is no safe way to retreat when the insects attack.

Before treating stinging insects such as yellow jackets, hornets and wasps, we consider the following:

  • Is the treatment cost effective?
  • Are there any risks? If so, are the risks acceptable?
  • Are environmental impacts minimized?
  • Are health risks for employees and others minimized

Additional Topics

Requests for tree or vegetation clearance in any of these spaces go to the Division of Vacant Properties. For additional questions, contact the Division of Urban Forestry Offices at 216-664-3104 - Weekdays 8:00 am to 4:30 pm.

Call the Urban Forestry Offices at 216-664-3104 - Weekdays 8:00 am to 4:30 pm and provide your address and batch number. Urban Forestry will then check for a service request in the system. If Urban Forestry has no request for work you must contact Martha Pontoni at 216-664-3616 for updates on your application.