Columbus Street Tree Requests: Tracking 2026 Urban Canopy Plantings

How we know this.

The sources and records behind this story, with the facts they support.

1. https://columbusrecparks.com/nature/urban-forestry/

   columbusrecparks.com · Accessed September 30, 2026

   Supporting evidence (3)

   • The requests, logged under the city service category for street tree planting and maintenance of new trees, feed directly into operations managed by the Forestry Section of the Columbus Recreation and Parks Department, which is solely and legally responsible for all public trees along streets and in municipal parks.

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     Columbus Recreation and Parks Department’s Forestry section is solely and legally responsible for all public trees in Columbus that grow along streets, in public parks and on all city properties.

   • Columbus property owners can request a street tree by contacting 311, submitting an intake ticket through the Columbus 311 Customer Service Center online at 311.columbus.gov or by calling 614-645-3111.

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     Residents can request a street tree by contacting 311.

   • When a location qualifies, the Forestry Section selects an appropriate tree species suited to local soil conditions, street width, and canopy goals, adding the address to municipal planting rosters that operate during two planting seasons: spring and fall.

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     We mark curbs for planting throughout the year, but only plant during two planting seasons: spring and fall.

2. Columbus 311 (Dataset) (dataset query)

   Columbus 311 (Dataset) · Published September 30, 2026 · Accessed September 30, 2026

   Supporting evidence (1)

   • Municipal records show that 1,130 total intake entries deduplicate to 1,129 distinct cases, with a single case recorded across multiple department routing steps.

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     total_rows: 1130; distinct_cases: 1129; duplicate_rows: 1

3. Columbus 311 (Dataset) (dataset query)

   Columbus 311 (Dataset) · Published September 30, 2026 · Accessed September 30, 2026

   Supporting evidence (1)

   • Across the 1,129 distinct cases submitted in 2026 through late September, 46.50% of requests remain active under work orders while 44.64% have closed:

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     Status_Category: Work Order In Progress; Distinct_Cases: 525; Share_Percentage: 46.5 Status_Category: Closed; Distinct_Cases: 504; Share_Percentage: 44.64 Status_Category: Received; Distinct_Cases: 95; Share_Percentage: 8.41 Status_Category: Canceled; Distinct_Cases: 5; Share_Percentage: 0.44 Status_Category: Re-Assigned; Distinct_Cases: 1; Share_Percentage: 0.09

4. Columbus 311 (Dataset) (dataset query)

   Columbus 311 (Dataset) · Published September 30, 2026 · Accessed September 30, 2026

   Supporting evidence (1)

   • For the 504 cases that reached closure in 2026, the city achieved an overall median response time of 4.08 days and a mean response time of 14.75 days.

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     closed_cases: 504; mean_response_days: 14.74907219099059; median_response_days: 4.076736111111111; min_response_days: 0.018125; max_response_days: 179.24270833333333

5. Columbus 311 (Dataset) (dataset query)

   Columbus 311 (Dataset) · Published September 30, 2026 · Accessed September 30, 2026

   Supporting evidence (1)

   • Every single 2026 street tree request includes verified geographic coordinates and an assigned Columbus community tag, while 683 requests fall within formal Area Commission boundaries.

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     total_requests,with_coords,with_community,with_area_commission 1130,1130,1130,683

6. Columbus 311 (Dataset) (dataset query)

   Columbus 311 (Dataset) · Published September 30, 2026 · Accessed September 30, 2026

   Supporting evidence (2)

   • Thirteen communities met the 30-case threshold, led by high-density residential corridors in north and central Columbus:

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     Neighborhood: Clintonville; Total_Cases: 133; Closed_Plantings: 58; In_Progress_Work_Orders: 68; Received_Intakes: 7; Canceled_Cases: 0; Median_Response_Days: 3.0; Mean_Response_Days: 12.9; Ranking_Status: Ranked

   • Twenty-one communities logged under 30 requests in 2026, encompassing established urban neighborhoods, commercial hubs, and peripheral planning areas:

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     Neighborhood: West Scioto; Total_Cases: 27; Closed_Plantings: 12; In_Progress_Work_Orders: 11; Received_Intakes: 3; Canceled_Cases: 1; Median_Response_Days: 3.8; Mean_Response_Days: 10.6; Ranking_Status: Unranked (<30 cases)

7. Columbus 311 (Dataset) (dataset query)

   Columbus 311 (Dataset) · Published September 30, 2026 · Accessed September 30, 2026

   Supporting evidence (1)

   • The 2026 volume adds to 4,212 cumulative planting and new-tree requests logged across all years in the city 311 system, operating alongside more than 8,800 service tickets dedicated to routine maintenance of mature municipal trees.

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     REQUEST_TYPE: Street Tree Planting or Maintenance of a New Tree; count: 4212