Wichita tree guide
Wichita’s trees, and the local rules that come with them
Trees in Wichita live in heavy, alkaline clay, take straight-line wind and ice on a schedule, and answer to a specific city forestry office and a specific utility. This page collects the local half of tree ownership — who decides what, which species earn their place here, and the numbers worth saving before storm season.
The city half
Whose tree is it?
The most consequential Wichita tree question is settled by where the trunk stands. The city's Forestry section maintains the public trees — about 4,900 acres of parks and 2,500 miles of right-of-way — and the strip along the street is usually theirs, not yours.
The curb-strip test
The city’s own rule of thumb: a tree that originates in the space between the curb and the sidewalk is most likely a City tree, managed by Forestry. Pruning or removing a city tree is not the adjoining owner’s call — check first.
Utility easements
A tree in a utility easement on your own lot still belongs to you — the easement gives the utility rights over the space, not ownership of the tree. That is why easement trees are yours to maintain and the utility’s to clear away from their lines.
Tree emergencies
For a public tree that is an immediate danger to life or property, the city lists (316) 268-4003, (316) 268-4004, (316) 268-4361 — or 911. A private tree on a structure is a different call: start with the storm guide.
Information about laws, city ordinances, insurance, and property responsibilities is general in nature and can change. Confirm details with your city, utility, insurer, or attorney before acting.
The utility half
Anything near a wire is Evergy's call first
Evergy runs scheduled line clearance on the distribution lines it owns across Wichita, and only the utility can tell you whether a line is de-energised. The service drop to your own roof is a different wire with different rules.
The order of calls matters: a tree touching or within reach of a line goes to Evergy before any tree service — including for work you are paying a crew to do. The clearance distances are not advisory, and pruning around energised lines is qualified work no homeowner or general tree crew should take on.
Planting under lines
The permanent fix is planting for the wire that is already there: nothing with a mature height above about 25 feet belongs under a distribution line. What to plant under a line instead.
The horticultural half
What earns its place in Wichita clay
Wichita soil is heavy clay, usually alkaline enough to starve a pin oak of iron, and the wind arrives with intent. The species that thrive here are the ones built for exactly that — and the ones that fail here fail in predictable, expensive ways.
Plant these with confidence
- Bur Oak
Handles clay, alkaline pH, drought, and straight-line wind better than any other large shade tree here.
- Common Hackberry
The default survivor of older Wichita neighborhoods — tough in poor soil, and honest about its cosmetic galls.
- Honey Locust (thornless)
Filtered shade, small leaflets that vanish into the lawn, and real drought tolerance.
- Eastern Redbud
The right size for most city lots, native, and the best spring flower display Kansas offers.
- Northern Catalpa
A tough, fast-growing native for big spaces that shrugs off heat and poor soil.
Think twice
- Bradford (Callery) Pear
Invasive, storm-brittle, and the city itself no longer plants Callery pears. The Kansas Forest Service runs a buyback for replacing them.
- Silver Maple
The tree Wichita crews visit most after windstorms — fast shade now, split unions and surface roots later.
- Siberian Elm
Seeds into every fence line and sheds limbs in every ice storm.
- Eastern Cottonwood
A magnificent tree with no business near a house, drive, or sewer lateral.
- Austrian Pine
Pine wilt has been removing mature Austrian pines from Wichita yards for two decades.
Replacing a Callery pear? Kansas Forest Service — Callery Pear Buyback(opens in a new tab)
The full reasoning lives in the species profiles and the planting guides.
Pests & problems
The Wichita watch list
Four problems account for most of the tree trouble in Sedgwick County yards. Each link goes to the full profile: what you'll see, the treatment window, and what treatment realistically achieves.
Common questions
The Wichita questions, answered short
Who owns the tree between the sidewalk and the street in Wichita?
Who owns the tree between the sidewalk and the street in Wichita?
Trees in the street right-of-way are City of Wichita trees, managed by the city's Forestry section. The city's own rule of thumb: if the tree originates in the space between curb and sidewalk, it is most likely a city tree. If you cannot tell, call the Forestry office before pruning or removing anything there — the answer decides whose job, and whose permission, the work is.
Do I need a permit to remove a tree on my own property in Wichita?
Do I need a permit to remove a tree on my own property in Wichita?
Kansas has no statewide permit for removing a tree inside your own lot lines, and for a private tree wholly on private property Wichita generally leaves the decision to you. The rules change at the right-of-way: city trees are governed by the city's tree policy and are not yours to remove or prune without the city's involvement. When a tree stands near the street or a property line, confirm its status with the Forestry office before anyone starts a saw.
A tree is in the power lines — who do I call?
A tree is in the power lines — who do I call?
Evergy, before any tree service. Line clearance around the distribution lines Evergy owns is their qualified work, and only the utility can tell you whether a line is de-energised. The service drop to your own house is a different wire with different rules — describe which wire is involved and let them tell you whose it is.
When do bagworms show up in Wichita?
When do bagworms show up in Wichita?
The eggs hatch in late May into June, and that hatch window is when treatment actually works. By the time the bags are big enough to notice in late summer, spraying accomplishes little — the realistic options are hand-picking small trees in winter and marking the calendar for next May.
Local help
The Wichita-area organisations worth knowing
Most local tree questions are answered free by one of these — and each is the authority for its piece of the puzzle.
- K-State Sedgwick County Extension — Gardening & Lawn Care(opens in a new tab)
- Sedgwick County Extension Arboretum(opens in a new tab)
- City of Wichita Park & Recreation — Forestry (Operations)(opens in a new tab)
- Evergy — Tree Trimming Guidelines(opens in a new tab)
- National Weather Service — Wichita(opens in a new tab)
Kansas Tree Guide is an independent educational resource. Nothing on this site replaces an on-site assessment by a qualified arborist or tree-care professional. Last reviewed August 2026.
Need a tree crew in Wichita?
Hazardous removals, storm response, pruning that needs a rope, and on-site assessments are where a website hands off to a professional. Kohnen's Tree Service works across Wichita and the surrounding communities, and their field experience informs this site.
When a situation calls for professional help in the Wichita area, we refer readers to Kohnen's Tree Service, a working Kansas tree-care company whose field experience informs this site. That relationship is disclosed here and on our About page.