The trees in our neighborhood help to make the area feel like an urban oasis. A commitment to regular pruning is an important part of extending the life and appearance of tree-scape. As you will discover, some of that responsibility for pruning falls on the City and some of it rests with the homeowner. The City of Los Angeles Urban Forestry Division recently shared guidelines for tree pruning which should help to make those responsibilities more clear.
Tree trimming should be done in autumn or winter. During the spring and summer, many birds, including migrants, nest in Los Angeles County trees and shrubs. Unfortunately, most homeowners and the City think about trimming in the spring when new growth appears, yet this is the worst possible time to trim due to nests, eggs and young birds being removed or destroyed. Â Trimming and pruning should be done between October and February so as not to destroy the bird habitat. It will also allow the trees to build on their root system and be ready to set out new growth in the spring.
In the event of an emergency, City crews will respond to constituents requests for street tree related emergencies. Emergency tree pruning is performed by city crews in the following three instances:
- When individual trees obstruct the view of stop signs, traffic signals, or safety-sensitive warning signs.
- When structural defects require pruning for correction.
- When individual trees obstruct the path of travel for emergency vehicles.
When funding is made available in the city budget, entire blocks of streets trees are pruned proactively by contractors. Street segments are selected for proactive tree trimming by BSS arborists based on safety rather than aesthetic criteria.
As an alternative to waiting for a tree to be pruned by city contractors, property owners may prune the tree at their own expense by obtaining a No-Fee Permit from the Urban Forestry Division. No-fee Permits can be obtained by calling 800-996-2489 or visiting http://bsspermits.lacity.org/.
Requests for city services may be placed by calling 1-800-996-2489. On-line requests my be placed at [email protected] or [email protected].
All pruning on street trees must be performed in accordance with current industry standards. Please refer to the following web sites:
Website – Los Angeles Audubon Tree Trimming Guide
Website – Tree Care Industry Association
Website – International Society of Aboriculture
A special thanks to Councilmember Tom LaBonge’s office for sharing this information!
photo credit: NapaneeGal via photopin cc