Providence, Rhode Island recommended street tree list, revised July 2011

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 Providence Tree List is a two-page PDF. Page 1 is marked “revised July 2011” and is the only date on it. The city’s Forestry Division page is the contact for the programme. The tables below copy the printed columns for each size group.

What the list says it is

The opening paragraph says the list is of tree species recommended by the City Forester for planting in Providence. It says the trees were chosen for their ability to withstand drought, compacted soil, pollution and other urban stresses, and that all are cold hardy to USDA Zone 5. It says other species or cultivars may be substituted subject to Forestry approval, unless they are on the Prohibited Trees List. The list prints a fixed-width table for each of three size groups. Each group heading also prints a figure in square feet: 1000 sf. for large trees, 700 sf. for medium trees and 300 sf. for small trees. The PDF does not label those figures.

The counts are 26 large, 11 medium and 12 small rows.

Large trees, mature height greater than 50 feet

Medium trees, mature height between 35 and 50 feet

Small trees, mature height less than 35 feet, suitable for planting beneath utility wires

Unauthorized trees

A separate table on page 2 is headed Unauthorized Trees and gives a reason for each.

Beside it the PDF prints a table of rare native trees of Rhode Island, maintained by the Rhode Island Natural History Survey for the Rhode Island Natural Heritage Program. It gives a state status for each. This page does not copy it.

How the PDF says a street tree gets planted

The PDF names three ways. The first is a group award through the Providence Neighborhood Planting Program, which requires a minimum of five neighborhood residents who agree to planting aftercare. The second is for an individual request, where the resident matches half of the planting cost, given in the PDF with a dollar sign, here US$200. The third is a free planting permit to plant a tree at the resident’s own expense. It says all planting in the city right-of-way must be approved.

The Forestry Division page says the division plants trees as a partner of the programme, which it says plants approximately 500 trees per year with residents’ help. It says a free permit is required before any work on a city tree, including pruning, removal, digging or trenching, and planting in the right-of-way, and that fines are assessed if city trees are damaged or removed without permission.

Limits

• The list is dated July 2011 on its face, so later changes to the Providence Forestry Division’s practice are not shown in it.
• The page is a list of recommendations with a substitution clause, not a closed list.
• The Forestry page also lists utility clearances for RI Energy primary and secondary wires. They are the utility’s figures and are not part of the tree list. The vegetation management rules page covers how such rules are set.

This list sits beside the others on the city lists comparison page.

Sources

• City of Providence, Department of Public Parks, Providence Tree List (PDF, revised July 2011), read October 9, 2026
• City of Providence, Forestry Division, read October 9, 2026
• City of Providence, Providence Parks, read October 9, 2026