Private Tree Protection

Your trees matter

About half of Oakville’s urban forest is on private property. Trees benefit everyone because they:

• clean the air we breathe
• cool our homes
• add beauty to our neighbourhoods
• increase property values
• reduce soil erosion
• provide food and habitat for wildlife

If tree removal is necessary, consider replacing your tree with a native species. To learn more about species native to Oakville visit the Ontario Tree Atlas website. For more planting and tree maintenance tips visit the tree planting page.

Protecting our urban forest

The urban forest is made up of all the trees growing in Oakville, including town-owned street and park trees, trees in forested areas, as well as trees on private property.

We’ve strengthened our Private Tree Protection By-law and developed a Private Tree Protection Procedure to help us preserve healthy trees and protect our community’s urban forest. If you’re making home or garden renovations, consider ways to make your trees part of your plan.

Tree ownership

Ownership of a tree is determined by its location on either private property or a municipal right of way (such as a boulevard or road allowance), regardless of who planted the tree. With that ownership comes the responsibility to care for and maintain the health of the tree.