City of Palo Alto Heritage Tree List

#1 - The El Palo Alto Redwood is located in El Palo Alto Park, corner of Alma and Palo Alto Way, on the banks of San Francisquito Creek. The tree is California Historical Landmark #2, is recognized by the National Arborist Association and International Society of Arboriculture for its historical significance as 'a campsite for the Portola Expedition Party of 1769'; frequented by the Coastanoan/Ohlone Indians; and used as a sighting tree by surveyors plotting out El Camino Real. The Sequoia sempervirens, Coast Redwood is 90-inches in diameter, 110-feet in height (compared to 134.6-feet in 1951) and has a crown spread of 40-feet. The tree is, as of 2022, 1081 years old and is healthier today than 100 years ago.

#2 - The Rinconada Oak, is located in Rinconada Park, along Embarcadero Road. The Quercus agrifolia, Coast Live Oak is 52-inches in diameter, 75-feet in height and has a crown spread of nearly 120-feet. The trees is over two centuries old and was dedicated by Mayor Liz Kniss in 1994.

#3 - Coast Redwood, is located on private property in the rear of 3759 La Donna Street, Palo Alto. The Sequoia sempervirens, Coast Redwood is 64.6-inches in diameter, 125-feet in height and has a crown spread of nearly 25-feet. In 1999, the tree was valued at $32,600 and was estimated to be over a century old.

#4 - Dawn Redwood, is located on private property in the front of 1032 Forest Avenue, Palo Alto. The Metasequoia glyptostrobodies, Dawn Redwood is 27-inches in diameter, 48-feet in height and has a crown spread of nearly 40-feet. In 1999, the tree was valued at $13,000 and was estimated to be nearly a half century old.

#5 - Coast Redwood, is located on private property in the rear of 1019 Forest Court, Palo Alto. The Sequoia sempervirens ‘Los Altos’, Coast Redwood is 65-inches in diameter, 163-feet in height and has a crown spread of nearly 45-feet. The tree was planted by former council member Enid Pearson in 1977. The tree has exceptional structure and a superior crown and this is likely due to the many years of professional maintenance practices applied to the tree. At the time of designation by council in 2022, the appraised value of this Coast redwood Heritage Tree was estimated to be $40,600. 

#6 - American Elm, is located on private property in the center of the San Alma Homeowners Association property, 4256 Ponce Drive, Palo Alto on the site where Don Secundo Robles (owner of all the land that is now Palo Alto) built his adobe home sometime before 1840. The Ulmus americana, American Elm is 39.5-inches in diameter, 60-feet in height and has a crown spread of nearly 60-feet. In 2000, the tree was valued at $10,200 and was estimated to be over half a century old.

#7 - Aleppo Pine, is located on private property in front of 12291 Ramona Street, Palo Alto. The Pinus halepensis, Aleppo Pine is a twin-trunk combined 73-inches in diameter, 55-feet in height and has a crown spread of nearly 60--feet. In 2004, the tree was valued at nearly $40,000 and was estimated to be nearly 70 years of age, with a good prognosis for the future. Designated by City Council Resolution, the tree has been described as 'the best example of an Aleppo Pine in all of Palo Alto', by Jim McClenahan, a member of the American Society of Consulting Arborists.

#8 - The Aleppo Pine (Pinus halepensis) located at 1231 Parkinson Avenue is the largest specimen of the species in Palo Alto. Roughly 100 years old, the tree has been well maintained and has a favorable prognosis for the future. The tree has also been featured on Canopy Community Center tree walks. At the time of its designation the DBH (diameter at breast height) of the tree was 47.7 inches. Its height was approximately 100 feet, and its crown spread is approximately 90 feet (estimated visually). This is unusually large for an Aleppo pine, as the species generally reaches only about 60 feet in height and 40 feet in spread.