Please note that we work WITH the City of Oakland but are not a part of the official City of Oakland's Tree Services Division.
The City of Oakland has a list of approved “Street Trees” that you can choose from.
Download the current (2017-'18) City of Oakland – Master Street Tree List (PDF) here.
Effective April 2017 until a new tree list is released.
Some new species were added since the 2016-'17 list, and the required well-sizes for some species were changed (Medium to Small, or Large to Medium, or vice versa). The new list also includes the relative height (stature) and rate of growth of each species.
In the columns below, you can click on the botanical names and/or variety names to be linked to more information.
Most of the links go to the Tree Selection profile at CalPoly's SelecTree website.
*External links are not intended to be endorsements of any product, service, or advertisement and we cannot guarantee the accuracy of content found at any website link.
If you don't know where to start and you want a shorter list to consider, we have indicated some of our favorites at the top of the columns.
Effective April 2017 until a new tree list is released.
Some new species were added since the 2016-'17 list, and the required well-sizes for some species were changed (Medium to Small, or Large to Medium, or vice versa). The new list also includes the relative height (stature) and rate of growth of each species.
In the columns below, you can click on the botanical names and/or variety names to be linked to more information.
Most of the links go to the Tree Selection profile at CalPoly's SelecTree website.
*External links are not intended to be endorsements of any product, service, or advertisement and we cannot guarantee the accuracy of content found at any website link.
If you don't know where to start and you want a shorter list to consider, we have indicated some of our favorites at the top of the columns.
Trees for Medium Wells:
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Trees for Large Wells:
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Trees for Extra-Large Wells:
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The list of approved street-trees also includes a category for Small Wells (well min. 2'x3') ...
... but Trees for Oakland does not plant them.
They are suitable for narrow or confined spaces, but they will never grow large enough to sequester enough carbon and give a good return on our funders' investment.
If we cannot find a way to make your planting area at least 3' wide, you may buy one of these "Small well" trees and plant it on your own, or we can forward your request to another organization to provide one for you.
Trees for Small Wells:
Acer buergerianum
Trident Maple
Eastern Redbud
Chinese Fringe Tree
Toyon or Christmas Berry
Hybrid Crape Myrtle – ‘Muskogee’, ‘Natchez’, or ‘Tuscarora’
Fraser Photinia
Double-Pink-Flowering Plum
Purple-Leaf Plum
Evergreen Pear
African Sumac
Water Gum
There is one more entry on Oakland's list that is a special case:
Magnolia grandiflora 'St. Mary' or 'Little Gem'
Southern Magnolia (smaller varieties)
Trident Maple
- Deciduous
- Small stature (25' x 25')
- Flowers: Inconspicuous
Eastern Redbud
- Deciduous
- Small stature (25' x 25')
- Flowers: Showy Pink/Rose
- Some varieties are available with white flowers ('Alba') or purple leaves ('Forest Pansy')
- Unreliable and often very slow-growing in Oakland, especially in the flatlands
Chinese Fringe Tree
- Deciduous
- Small stature (15'-20' X 10')
- Flowers: Showy, Fragrant White
- Limited use on a trial basis
Toyon or Christmas Berry
- Evergreen
- Small stature (20' x 15')
- Flowers: Showy White
- California native
- Limited use on a trial basis
- We have not found a nursery offering single-trunk "standard-form" specimens, as would be required for streetside planting.
Hybrid Crape Myrtle – ‘Muskogee’, ‘Natchez’, or ‘Tuscarora’
- Deciduous
- Small stature (25' x 20')
- Flowers: Showy Lavender ('Muskogee'), White ('Natchez'), or Pink ('Tuscarora')
- These varieties are best for Oakland because they resist powdery mildew
- Deciduous
- Small to Medium stature (20'-30' x 20'-30')
- Flowers: Showy Red
Fraser Photinia
- Evergreen
- Small stature (20' x 15')
- Flowers: Showy White
Double-Pink-Flowering Plum
- Deciduous
- Small stature (20' x 20')
- Flowers: Showy Pink
- This species sometimes experiences an aphid infestation in the first year or two.
Purple-Leaf Plum
- Deciduous
- Small stature (20'-30' x 15'-20')
- Flowers: Showy Pink
- These varieties produce no fruit, or almost none
Evergreen Pear
- Evergreen
- Small stature (15'-30' x 15'-30')
- We recommend not planting this species at all, because of the high risk of fireblight.
African Sumac
- Evergreen
- Small stature (20' x 20')
- Flowers: Inconspicuous
- Should be pruned in its first few years to promote good form
Water Gum
- Evergreen
- Small stature (25' x 20')
- Flowers: Showy, Fragrant Yellow
There is one more entry on Oakland's list that is a special case:
Magnolia grandiflora 'St. Mary' or 'Little Gem'
Southern Magnolia (smaller varieties)
- Evergreen
- Small stature (20'-25' x 10'-15')
- Flowers: Showy White, Fragrant
- Not good for high-traffic or busy pedestrian areas. Slow-growing and small when first planted, vulnerable to vandalism or accidental damage for a few years after planting.
- Less drought-tolerant than other species on this list
- Southern magnolias have relatively aggressive roots, so Oakland requires planting them in a "Medium" space (min. 3'x6' or 4'x4'), even though they will be small-stature when mature.
The City of Oakland's size categories for trees depend on the size of the available tree well.
Note that the required size of the well does not necessarily correspond to the size of the tree. The revised species list in April 2017 includes a separate category for the height or stature of each species.
- Small: Minimum 2'x3', or a continuous strip 2' wide, and all locations with overhead high-voltage wires. (On a case-by-case basis, the City staff have accepted as "official" some taller species under high-voltage wires that are more than 35' above the sidewalk.)
- Medium: Minimum 3'x6' or 4’x4', or a continuous strip 3' wide. Since CAL-FIRE requires at least 24 square feet per tree (3'x8', 3.5'x7', or 4'x6'), a grant-eligible well of "Medium" width must be longer than what the City would allow.
- Large: Minimum 4'x6' or 5'x5', or a continuous strip 4' wide. This size automatically meets the CAL-FIRE requirement of 24 sq.ft. per tree.
- Extra-Large: Minimum 6'x8', or a continuous strip 6' wide. This size automatically meets the CAL-FIRE requirement of 24 sq.ft. per tree.