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 The Urban Forest of San José, estimated to be comprised of over 1,000,000 trees on private and public property, provides great beauty, shade and environmental benefits to Santa Clara Valley. Our area, once known as The Valley of Heart’s Delight because of the vast orchards that filled the spring with spectacular blossoms, has now been largely supplanted with a growing forest of shade and ornamental trees that are a vital component to our urban landscape. Through public input, a vision statement for the Urban Forest of San José has been established:
San José’s residents will live within and value a thriving, sustainable urban forest that will be effectively managed to improve the quality of life and sense of community and maximize environmental, economic and aesthetic benefits.
The Urban Forest consists of trees on public land such as Street Trees, those along the Median Islands and Roadside Landscape Maintenance areas, trees planted in Parks or Trail areas or in Special Districts. The balance of the Urban Forest is on private property, consisting of trees on Single Family/Duplex residential property, Multi-Family residential property or on Non-Residential/Commercial property. Heritage Trees are those special trees with significant historical value or unique characteristics that have been designated by the San José City Council for special protective status.
Depending on where a particular tree is located and if it has a special designation, departmental responsibility within the City or County can vary.
Some trees are in the jurisdiction of the Department of Transportation, some
by the Planning, Building and Code Enforcement Department, and some by the Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services Department. Many of the trees
along the streams and riparian areas of the City are managed by Santa Clara
Valley Water District (external link). In addition, where there are County Parks within the
city limits of San José, it is the Santa Clara County Department of Parks
and Recreation (external link) that is responsible for their trees. The purpose of this site
is to help San José residents navigate the various issues related to trees
in our Urban Forest and determine how to contact the right City or County
office for help
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