The City maintains a list of tree species approved for planting on the City right-of-way. Trees are selected for insect and disease resistance, adaptability to local climate and soils, resistance to ice and wind damage, and sound structure and desirable growth habits.
Some trees prohibited for planting on the City right-of-way are excellent yard or park trees, but are not suitable for street tree use because of an abundance of fruit which may litter streets or clog sewer inlets, or, as in the case of evergreens, because they present visibility problems.
Please note that any planting on the City right-of-way requires a permit, available free from Public Works.
Approved Tree Species List
Trees that may be Planted Along Public Rights-of-Way in Champaign |
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| Small Trees (Only permitted for use where overhead restrictions exist such as utility lines.) | ||
| Crabapple (cultivars resistant to apple scab) | Hawthorn (thornless) | Laurel magnolia |
| Corneliancherry dogwood | Hornbeam | Loebner magnolia |
| Kousa dogwood | Japanese tree lilac | Redbud |
| Pagoda dogwood | Amur maple | Serviceberry |
| Paperbark maple | Carolina silverbell | Tatarian maple |
| Tree form viburnum | ||
| Medium to Large Trees | ||
| Black alder | Ironwood | Chestnut oak |
| Baldcypress | Katsura | Overcup oak |
| Basswood | Crimean linden | Red oak |
| American beech | Littleleaf linden | Shingle oak |
| European beech | Silver linden | Shumard oak |
| Amur corktree | Cucumbertree magnolia | Swamp white oak |
| Elm (cultivars resistant to Dutch elm disease) | Black maple | White oak |
| Turkish filbert | Freeman maple | Dawn redwood |
| Ginkgo (male) | Hedge maple | Hardy rubber tree |
| Goldenraintree | Miyabe maple | Sassafras |
| Hackberry | Red maple | Tuliptree |
| Sugar hackberry | Sugar maple | Black tupelo |
| European hornbeam | Bur oak | Yellowood |
| Chinkapin oak | Japanese zelkova | |
Trees that may NOT be Planted Along Public Rights-of-Way in Champaign |
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| Apple | Flowering dogwood | Pin oak |
| Arborvitae | American elm | Scarlet oak |
| Blue ash | Siberian elm | Russian olive |
| Green ash | Slippery elm | Osage orange |
| Mountain ash | Empress tree | Peach |
| White ash | Fir | Pear |
| River birch | Hemlock | Pecan |
| White birch | Hickory | Pine |
| Boxelder | Honeylocust | Plum |
| Boxelder | Horsechestnut | Poplar |
| Butternut | Juniper | Spruce |
| Catalpa | Black locust | Sweetgum |
| Cedar | Norway maple | Sycamore |
| Cherry | Silver maple | Tree of Heaven |
| Chestnut | Mimosa tree | Walnut |
| Cottonwood | Mulberry | Willow |
Download list of approved tree species as PDF (Updated January 26th, 2009)