- Home
- Government
- Boards, Committees and Commissions
- Tree Commission
Tree Commission
Purpose
The Tree Commission shall provide leadership in the development and understanding of the objectives of the tree program and assist in the development and maintenance of technical specifications and guidelines.
The Tree Commission shall produce and maintain a list of kinds and species of trees suitable and desirable for planting and the areas and conditions under which such trees should be planted. This list, to be known as the “Master Tree List” shall be adopted by resolution of the Council.
The Tree Commission shall also review subdivisions plats and plans for new developments and recommend tree preservation and tree plantings therein. The Council may require the implementation of any recommendation by the Tree Commission.
The Clinton High School Synergy students compiled a Tree Education PowerPoint to help residents.
Membership and Term Length
The City's Tree Commission consists of five residents of the City, appointed by the Mayor with the approval of the Council, for staggered terms of three years. Members of the Commission serve without compensation.
Current Members
| Member | Term End Date |
| Nicholas Goldermann | 10/11/2026 |
| Danielle Mundell | 10/11/2026 |
| Michael Yackshaw | 10/11/2026 |
| Robert Betsinger | 3/23/2026 |
| Dick Witt | 12/31/2026 |
Master Tree List
The following is a list of trees that are permitted to be planted in the City of Clinton parkways and/or right-of-way. It also includes trees not to be planted because of their lack of resistance to common tree diseases and/or pests or susceptibility to wind/storm damage.
This list may also be used by builders, homeowners, and business owners as a guide to appropriate trees to plant on their property in the Clinton, Iowa area. All trees being considered must meet the American Standards for Nursery Stock.
Most of the trees listed can be viewed at The Bickelhaupt Arboretum, 340 South 14th Street, Clinton, and are shown on their map of plantings and marked as a City of Clinton tree.
Trees that Can be Planted in the Parkway/Right-of-Way
| Narrow Parkways (5 to 6 feet wide) | Medium Parkways (6 to 8 feet wide) | Wide Parkways (9 feet or more) |
| Acer - Maple Black Maple, 55’ tall by 25’ wide Norway Maple, 45’ tall by 20’ wide Freeman Maple, 60’ tall by 20' wide Red Maple 55' tall by 20' wide Sugar Maple, 55’ tall by 20’ wide | Carpinus - Hornbeam European Hornbeam, 35’ tall by 20' wide | Tilia - Linden Littleleaf Linden, 50’ tall by 35’ wide Greenspire Linden, 50’ tall by 35’ wide Pyramidal American Linden, 50' tall by 35' wide |
| Ginkgo - Ginkgo Ginkgo, 60’ tall by 25’ wide | Crataegus - Hawthorn Washington Hawthorn, 25’ tall by 15' wide Thornless Hawthorn, 25’ tall by 15' wide | Ulmus - Elm Commendation Elm, 60’ tall by 50’ Triumph Elm 55' tall by 50' wide Accolade Elm, 70' tall by 45' wide Discovery Elm, 45' tall by 40' wide Other new disease resistant cultivars are acceptable also. |
| Quercus - Oak English Oak, 55' tall by 45' wide White Oak, 55' tall by 45' wide Red Oak, 55' tall by 45' wide Bur Oak, 55' tall by 45' wide | Malus – Crabapple Any species of flowering crabapple trees shall conform to the following requirements: only persistent fruited or sterile cultivars of an upright,oval, or vase shape combined with good leaf tolerance shall be acceptable. Spreading types and disease prone cultivars are not acceptable. | Syringa - Reticulata Japanese Tree Lilac, 20’ tall by 15’ wide Ivory Silk Tree Lilac, 25’ tall by 20’ wide |
| Gledistsia - Locust Only thornless varieties: Shade Master Locust, 60’ tall by 50’ wide Skyline Locust, 65’ tall by 45’ wide | Pyrus - Flowering Pear Callery Pear, 35’ tall by 20’ wide Also, only thornless cultivars selected for 90 degree branching habit are acceptable. Cultivars such as Bradford have narrow "V" branching habits that develop weak bonds making them vulnerable to storm damage so are not acceptable. |
Permit Fee for Tree Planting in Parkways and/or Right-of-Ways
A no-fee permit is required to be obtained from the City Engineering Department for any trees planted in parkways and/or right-of-ways.
Trees that Cannot be Planted in the Parkway/Right-of-Way
All Ash varieties due to the spread of emerald ash borer ("EAB"), including:
- Black Locust
- Bolleana Poplar
- Boxelder
- Catalpa
- Cottonwood
- Lombardy Poplar
- Mulberry
- Russian Olive
- Siberian Elm
- Silver Maple
- Sycamore
- Tree of Heaven
- Weeping Birch
- White Poplar
- Willows