As the “Green Tree” City, Kirkwood has a deep history of maintaining the mature trees throughout the City and we strive to maintain a healthy urban forest with a sustainable canopy for ourselves and many future generations. We are proudly recognized as a Tree City USA community through the Arbor Day foundation and look to continue our efforts to maintain our trees and the urban forest that we all enjoy.

You can learn more about our Urban Forest Master Plan (UFMP) and everything Kirkwood is doing to manage its urban forest on the project website. The UFMP project is made possible by a Tree Resource Inventory Management Grant from the Missouri Department of Conservation.

Contact the Forestry Division if you need information related to:

• Tree Inspections located in the Right-of-Way
• Street Tree Planting Program
• Permit to Remove a Tree in the Right-of-Way
• Forestry Inspections related to a Building Permit

To contact the Forestry Division, please call 314-984-5907 or email the City Forester, Brandon Sly at slybm@kirkwoodmo.org

To schedule Forestry Inspections related to a Building Permit, please use the City of Kirkwood Public Portal.

Click Here for information on the City of Kirkwood's Tree Ordinance

City of Kirkwood's Tree Ordinance

City of Kirkwood Tree Manual

City of Kirkwood Storm Debris Policy

Find an ISA Certified Arborist

Learn how trees and power lines safely coexist.

Visit the Kirkwood Electric Vegetation Management page to learn how trees are managed near electric infrastructure to keep service reliable and the community safe.

The following Commission is related to the Forestry Division:

Urban Forestry Commission

The Urban Forestry Commission meets at 7:00 p.m. on the fourth Tuesday of each month. To access the upcoming meeting agenda, visit the website calendar. For copies of older agendas, contact the City Clerk at ascheLb@kirkwoodmo.org. The Staff Liaison to Urban Forestry Commission is Urban Forester Brandon Sly, who can be reached at 314-984-5907 or by email at slybm@kirkwoodmo.org.

The City Right-of-Way (ROW) is considered City property and typically encompasses the roadway and sidewalks. Trees located within the ROW are considered City Trees. To determine the location of the ROW in relation to your property, refer to your property survey for clarity. The property corner markers near the street indicate the end of the City ROW and the beginning of private property.

The City Tree Ordinance § 24-3 Public trees requires residents to perform clearance pruning on trees, both private and public, that might obstruct sidewalks, streets, buildings, or intersections. This upkeep is crucial for a safe urban forest. Sidewalk clearance should be 7 feet, streets at curb line 12 feet, and centerline of the roadway 15 feet. The City conducts general pruning on a multi-year schedule, but additional clearance pruning may be necessary between regular sessions.

In short, Kirkwood Electric maintains these trees if your home falls within Kirkwood Electric line service area.

If the trees are located along the street, they are located within the City ROW, Kirkwood Electric and the Forestry Division have made a joint effort to manage these trees. If trees are located behind or next to your home, these trees are on private property but may fall within the “Electric Utility Easement”. Trees within this easement are to be maintained by Kirkwood Electric for electric line clearance and safety.  More information on this can be obtained by contacting Kirkwood Electric.

In 2018 the City became proactive in tree maintenance operations and designed a plan to have all city trees pruned for health, safety, and integrity on an eight (8) year cycle. By doing this we have been able to reduce public tree issues during inclement weather events as well as improve the health of thousands of trees. 

In April of 2025 our contractors, Monster Tree Service, will be working on the west side (zone 6 and 7) of the City pruning trees in the street Right of Way. If you are curious on when we may be pruning in your area, click HERE to see when the city expects to be there.  

If you have issues with a hazardous tree that has dead branches or hanging limbs, we will have it inspected and schedule a hazard pruning as needed. Hazardous trees are maintained and/or removed outside of the proactive pruning schedule.

The City removes around 125 trees annually due to health issues, serious decline, or are hazardous. Some trees are taken down during infrastructure repairs like sidewalk replacement or water main repair, even though we value them.

The Forestry Division currently receives invaluable support from the volunteer group 50 Trees, contributing approximately 75 trees. As of April 2021, we the City introduced a new Planting Program aimed at doubling the tree planting capacity by adding 75 more trees. Trees will be planted based on location and canopy needs throughout the City. If you're interested in having a tree planted in the Right-of-Way (ROW), please let us know by filling out the Tree Planting Request form.

When planting trees, the Forestry Division's focus is on selecting the right tree for the right spot, following specific planting guidelines to ensure proper placement. For a detailed list of these requirements, you can find them in the Tree Manual.