May 2026: Street Trees

By Andy Mead

The May Tree of the Month isn’t a particular species, but it is often the first thing people see as they approach our homes. We’re talking about street trees.

Lexington has more than 53,000 of them, mostly maples, oaks, dogwoods and sycamores.

Three blackgum trees (Nyssa sylvatica) line a Lexington street. By Andy Mead

The street tree you choose may be large, medium or small, depending on your location and the crucial factor of the presence or absence of overhead wires. In some cases, your homeowners’ association might have a say. There also is limited financial help if you have an older street tree that is failing and you want to replace it.

Fortunately, the city has plenty of advice (and rules) to guide you. You can find that information here:

 https://www.lexingtonky.gov/government/departments-programs/environmental-quality-public-works/environmental-services/urban-forestry/street-trees.

Here are some quick rules:

• Maintenance of a street tree is the owners’ responsibility.

• City approval is required to plant or remove a street tree, but the permit for planting or removal is free.

• Street trees need to be pruned to a height of at least seven feet above sidewalks and 12 feet above streets.

• There is a list of permitted street trees, divided into short, medium and tall, as well as a list of trees that are prohibited because they are messy or have other drawbacks.

The list of prohibited tree species includes flowering pears and pin oaks. You will find sugar maples on the permitted list, but not red maples as they are greatly over-planted in Lexington. Yes, they are pretty and grow fast, but having too many of one species could cause problems if they are attacked by a disease or insect. That happened long ago to American elms that were killed by Dutch elm disease, and more recently to ash trees and pin oaks.

Left: A cherrybark oak (Quercus pagoda) in the fall, originally grown as part of our Pocket Nursery program in 2019. Middle: The prohibited Callery/Bradford pear (Pyrus calleryana) after a spring freeze killed its flowers. Right: The now prohibited red maple street tree that is a hybrid of the also prohibited silver maple (Acer x freemanii). Photos by Amy Steele.

If you have a dying street tree, the city has a cost share program that could help you have it taken down and replaced. If approved, the city will pay half the cost, which is cheaper than what you would pay just to have the old tree removed. The city puts about $150,000 a year into the program. That money appears in July and often runs out quickly. For people in some income brackets, all costs are waived.

All this, plus links to permits are at the website above. That’s where you may also get suggestions on trees for your location by providing the specifics of your site, including soil and light conditions.

Happy planting!

Kentucky yellowwoods (Cladrastis kentukea) make a spectacular street tree . These trees are both located in the Meadowthorpe neighborhood.

Left: A younger yellowwood with volcano mulch by a paid landscaper (fixed after this photo by Trees Lexington). Middle: Close up of the gorgeous and frangrant flowers that bloom every 2 - 3 years. Right; Capturing more of the the blooming yellowwood featureed in the second photo.

Photos by Amy Steele