Urban Forestry

Bucket truck and large equipment used by staff to safely remove a tree on a city street with fall foliage in the background

Park Maintenance is responsible for planting, maintaining and removing trees on the boulevards of Duluth. Trees are an important part of the City’s infrastructure and provide many benefits to the citizens including reducing pollution and storm water runoff, reduce home energy costs, stabilize soils, decrease noise pollution, provide wildlife habitat and increase property values. In addition to the 12,000+ boulevard trees, our staff also oversees park trees and hazardous trees in undeveloped parklands.

The Natural Resources Program coordinates the management of our larger forested areas and designated natural areas. With limited funding and staff, and thousands of acres of forest, we depend heavily on our natural resources partners to help us manage our city forests. Funding for our forest management work betond the boulevards is almost exclusively grant-supported.

Emerald Ash Borer (EAB)

Click this link to visit the City's webpage on Emerald Ash Borer.

Report a Tree

Click this link to report a tree on the City's webpage for the Resident Problem Reporter. 

FAQs

Click this link to visit the City's FAQs webpage on Urban Forestry.

City Forest Management Plan

The City is developing a City Forest Management Plan with plans to finalize it by the end of 2026. The plan will be posted here when complete.

Tree Service Contractors

The following tree service contractors are licensed in the City of Duluth as of March 19, 2025.

  • Amberjack Tree Service, 218-722-5342
  • Booker's Tree Care, 218-343-7837
  • Levy Tree Care, 218-393-4847
  • Rick's Tree & Stump Removal, 218-728-2427
  • Sawtooth Arbor Supply & Tree Service, 218-310-4343
  • Tettegouche Tree Care, 218-216-7766
  • Zielies Tree Service Inc., 715-682-6646

Tree Species Recommended for Duluth

Recommended Tree Species - Large

  • Swamp white oak
  • Bur oak
  • White oak
  • Northern red oak
  • Northern pin oak
  • Hackberry
  • Basswood
  • Kentucky coffeetree
  • Sugar maple
  • Black walnut
  • Butternut
  • American elm
  • Hybrid elms
  • River birch
  • Paper birch

Recommended Tree Species - Medium

  • Ohio buckeye
  • Alder
  • Ginkgo
  • Yellowwood
  • Discovery elm
  • Crimson spire oak
  • Honeylocust
  • Magnolia
  • Linden

Recommended Tree Species - Small

  • Crab apples
  • Musclewood
  • Ironwood
  • Serviceberry
  • Hawthorn
  • Flowering pear
  • Eastern wahoo
  • Redbud
  • Chokecherry

Recommended Tree Species - Conifers

  • White pine
  • Red pine
  • Balsam fir
  • White spruce
  • White cedar
  • Swiss stone pine
  • Norway spruce
  • White fir
  • European larch

Tree Species Not Recommended

  • Catalpa
  • Freeman maples
  • Norway maple
  • Boxelder
  • Cottonwood
  • Aspen
  • Amur maple
  • Scot's pine
  • Willow
  • London planetree
  • Lombardy poplar