Ann Arbor, Michigan approved street trees by size, March 2017
The City of Ann Arbor publishes an Approved Street Trees by Size list with a native column and a notes column. This page copies the three size groups and what the city pages say about maples, invasive species, permits and planting seasons.
Checked against the sources at the bottom of this page on October 9, 2026. Rules, fees and pay change: the source has the last word.
This page reports what the official source says. It is not legal advice: ask the office named here. It is also not planting advice and it does not say which tree suits a site. The Forestry pages link an Approved Street Tree List by Size and an Approved Street Tree List with Characteristics. The by-size list is a three-page PDF, and every page is marked March 2017 and City of Ann Arbor. The PDF metadata shows it was created on March 15, 2017.
What the city says about the list
The Tree Care and Planting page says the Approved Street Tree List supersedes other agencies’ and organizations’ recommendations. It says species on the city’s invasive species list are not approved and are prohibited from planting in the right-of-way. On the PDF, one footnote says other tree species will be considered case by case. Another footnote, marked with an asterisk on the maples, says that because maples already make up a large share of the urban forest, new maples go only in areas with few maple street or yard trees.
The PDF has a fourth column for notes, which the tables copy as printed in the city’s own wording, and a column headed Native. The city leaves some native cells blank where the note instead says the tree is native to the southern or western United States. The tables below keep that: a blank is shown as Blank. The small tree page says its group is suitable for use under overhead utility lines.
Small trees, mature height under 30 feet (18 rows)
| Latin name and common name | Native? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Acer buergerianum 'Streetwise'*, Trident Maple | No | Choose tree form. 'Streetwise' or other single stem variety |
| Acer griseum*, Paperbark Maple | No | None printed |
| Acer pensylvanicum*, Striped Maple | Yes | None printed |
| Amelanchier arborea 'Trazam', Downy Serviceberry | Yes | Choose single stem/tree form 'Trazam' or other single stem variety |
| Amelanchier laevis 'Cumulus', Allegheny Serviceberry | Yes | Choose single stem/tree form 'Cumulus' or other single stem variety |
| Amelanchier x grandiflora 'Autumn Brilliance', Autumn Brilliance Serviceberry | Yes | Hybrid of native species. 'Autumn Brilliance' or other single stem variety |
| Amelanchier x grandiflora 'Robin Hill', Robin Hill Serviceberry | Yes | Hybrid of native species. Sensitive to drought. 'Robin Hill' or other single stem variety |
| Cercis canadensis, Eastern Redbud | Yes | None printed |
| Chionanthus virginicus, White Fringetree | Yes | Choose single stem/tree form. Native to southern U.S. |
| Chionanthus retusus, Chinese Fringetree | No | Choose single stem/tree form |
| Cornus kousa, Kousa Dogwood | No | Choose single stem/tree form |
| Cornus mas, Cornelian Cherry | No | Choose single stem/tree form |
| Maackia amurensis, Amur Maackia | No | None printed |
| Malus sp, Crabapple | Some sp. | None printed |
| Prunus sargentii, Sargent Cherry | No | None printed |
| Prunus serrulata, Kwanzan Cherry | No | None printed |
| Prunus 'Accolade', Accolade Flowering Cherry | No | None printed |
| Syringa reticulata, Japanese Tree Lilac | No | None printed |
Medium trees, mature height 25 to 40 feet (11 rows)
| Latin name and common name | Native? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Acer miyabei*, Miyabei Maple | No | None printed |
| Acer truncatum, Shantung Maple | No | None printed |
| Betula nigra, River Birch | Blank | Choose single stem/tree form. Native to southern U.S. |
| Carpinus betulus, European Hornbeam | No | None printed |
| Carpinus caroliniana, American Hornbeam | Yes | None printed |
| Cladrastis kentuckea, American Yellowwood | Blank | Native to southern U.S |
| Halesia carolina, Carolina Silverbell | Blank | Native to southern U.S. |
| Laburnum x watereri, Goldenchain Tree | No | None printed |
| Ostraya virginiana, American Hophornbeam | Yes | None printed |
| Parrotia persica, Persian Parrotia | No | None printed |
| Quercus robur, English Oak | No | None printed |
Large trees, mature height over 40 feet (34 rows)
| Latin name and common name | Native? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Acer rubrum*, Red Maple | Yes | None printed |
| Acer saccharum*, Sugar Maple | Yes | None printed |
| Aesculus octandra (flava), Yellow Buckeye | Blank | Native to southern U.S. |
| Celtis occidentalis, Hackberry | Yes | None printed |
| Cercidiphyllum japonicum, Katsura tree | No | None printed |
| Corylus colurna, Turkish Filbert | No | None printed |
| Eucommia ulmoides, Hardy Rubber Tree | No | None printed |
| Ginkgo biloba, Ginkgo | No | Choose male variety only |
| Gleditsia triacanthos, Honeylocust | Yes | None printed |
| Gymnocladus dioicus, Kentucky Coffeetree | Yes | None printed |
| Liquidambar styraciflua, Sweetgum | Blank | Native to southern U.S. |
| Liriodendron tulipifera, Tuliptree | Yes | None printed |
| Metasequoia glyptostroboides, Dawn Redwood | No | None printed |
| Nyssa sylvatica, Blackgum (Sourgum) | Yes | None printed |
| Platanus occidentalis, American Sycamore | Yes | None printed |
| Platanus x acerifolia 'Bloodgood', London Planetree | No | Not as susceptible to anthracnose as American Sycamore |
| Quercus bicolor, Swamp White Oak | Yes | None printed |
| Quercus gambelii, Gamble Oak | Blank | Native to western U.S. |
| Quercus imbricaria, Shingle Oak | Yes | None printed |
| Quercus macrocarpa, Burr Oak | Yes | None printed |
| Quercus muehlenbergii, Chinkapin Oak | Yes | None printed |
| Quercus montana (prinus), Chestnut Oak | Yes | None printed |
| Quercus rubra, Northern Red Oak | Yes | None printed |
| Quercus shumardii, Shumard Oak | Yes | None printed |
| Sophora japonica, Japanese Pagodatree | No | Also known as Scholar-tree |
| Taxodium distichum, Bald Cypress | Blank | Native to southern U.S. |
| Tilia cordata, Littleleaf Linden | No | Only plant in irrigated areas |
| Tilia heterophylla, White Basswood | Blank | Native to south U.S. |
| Tilia platyphyllos, Big Leaf Linden | No | None printed |
| Tilia tomentosa, Silver Linden | No | None printed |
| Tilia x euchlora, Crimean Linden | No | None printed |
| Ulmus americana, American Elm | Yes | Choose Dutch Elm Disease resistant variety |
| Ulmus japonica 'Accolade', Accolade Japanese Elm | No | None printed |
| Zelkova serrata, Japanese Zelkova | No | None printed |
Planting, permits and the street tree map
The Tree Care and Planting page says street tree planting follows an annual plan with two seasons: fall from September to December and spring from mid-April through June. It says all trees are planted in the right-of-way, usually the lawn extension between curb and sidewalk, and that staff evaluate each site for existing trees, rooting space, driveways and underground utilities. A resident may request a street tree.
The Street Tree Permits page says any work in the right-of-way that affects a city-owned street tree needs an approved permit, and it lists removal, planting, trimming, fertilization treatments, insect and disease treatments and stump grinding. It says the permit is free, that a canopy loss fee or tree appraisal may be charged for removal of a city-owned street or park tree, and that a resident who hires a tree care company at their own expense files the same permit.
The Urban Forest page says the city has 51,806 inventoried trees and an online map that shows the species and location of each city-maintained tree. It says the city carried out an i-Tree Eco analysis in 2012 with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and funding from the USDA Forest Service Urban and Community Forestry programme. For how that tool works see the i-Tree tools page.
Limits
- The list shows March 2017 and has not been checked here against any later version.
- The characteristics list was not opened, so sizes beyond the three groups are not on this page.
- The city’s own pages are the place to check a permit or a change to the list.
This list sits beside the others on the city lists comparison page.
Sources
- City of Ann Arbor, Approved Street Trees By Size (PDF, March 2017), read October 9, 2026
- City of Ann Arbor, Forestry: Tree Care and Planting, read October 9, 2026
- City of Ann Arbor, Forestry: Street Tree Permits, read October 9, 2026
- City of Ann Arbor, Forestry: The Urban Forest, read October 9, 2026