Oak Woodland Policies of 41 California Counties
For 25 years the California State Board of Forestry oak conservation policy supported a statewide program of research and education known as the Integrated Hardwood Range Management Program (IHRMP). This included providing strong encouragement to local governments to develop their own policies responsive to ecological, economic, and political issues impacting hardwood rangelands in their particular county. Shown below is a table of counties with significant hardwood rangeland acreage, and the current policy approaches being used. These data were updated Fall 2022.
| Hardwood Rangeland (acres) | Voluntary Guidelines | General Plan Language | Implementing ordinance | |
| Alameda | 131,000 | scenic areas only | ||
| Amador | 178,000 | scenic areas only | ||
| Butte | 230,000 | subdivisions only | ||
| Calaveras | 316,000 | X | ||
| Colusa | 149,000 | X | ||
| Contra Costa | 81,000 | discretionary projects with heritage trees | tree protection ordinance for all areas with 4 or more oaks >6.5” dbh | |
| El Dorado | 178,000 | X | X | zoning and subdivision ordinance |
| Fresno | 493,000 | X | scenic areas and landmark trees | |
Glenn | 133,000 | X | ||
| Kern | 721,000 | |||
Lake | 119,000 | X | waterway zoning only | |
Los Angeles | 70,000 | oak tree ordinance | ||
Madera | 283,000 | X | landmark trees only | |
Marin | 62,000 | X | X | tree protection ordinance (zoning) |
| Mariposa | 299,000 | X | ||
| Mendocino | 374,000 | landmark trees only | ||
| Merced | 96,000 | |||
| Monterey | 921,000 | including agriculture | zoning ordinance | |
| Napa | 159,000 | X | erosion hazard and municipal watershed zoning only | |
| Nevada | 139,000 | X | within land use code and site standards | |
| Orange | 40,000 | |||
| Placer | 105,000 | X | tree ordinance | |
| Riverside | 72,000 | on ½ parcels above 5,000’ only | tree removal ordinance | |
| Sacramento | 23,000 | X | tree preservation ordinance | |
| San Benito | 437,000 | when removal approaches a canopy retention standard or on slopes >/ 30% | woodland management ordinance | |
| San Bernardino | 18,000 | X | plant protection ordinance | |
| San Diego | 320,000 | on 5 acre lots only | grading ordinance | |
| San Joaquin | 39,000 | X | tree ordinance | |
San Luis Obispo | 724,000 | X | in some zones | zoning ordinance |
Santa Barbara | 345,000 | X for agriculture | including agriculture | deciduous oak ordinance |
| Santa Clara | 321,000 | X for golf courses | Heritage trees and 12” trees in hillside zones | tree protection ordinance |
Shasta | 287,000 | X | ||
| Solano | 45,000 | |||
| Sonoma | 211,000 | valley oak district only | zoning ordinance | |
| Stanislaus | 145,000 | all discretionary projects | ||
| Tehama | 633,000 | X | ||
| Tulare | 536,000 | along scenic highway only | ||
| Tuolumne | 234,000 | X | valley oak woodland only | mitigations designated in wildlife handbook |
| Ventura | 113,000 | X | both ministerial and discretionary | |
Yolo | 99,000 | should adopt tree ordinance | ||
| Yuba | 95,000 | valley oak only |