Priority 1 Forestry Initiative

Priority I Forestry Initiative

In 2016, we logged all street, park, and cemetery trees. From that inventory, we addressed all trees identified as Priority 1 for removal or pruning. This project increased public safety and reduced long-term maintenance costs.

In 2016, we identified 85,185 total trees we maintain. Of these, 3,037 were Priority 1 for removal.

  • 1,558 were Priority 1 for removal

  • 1,479 were Priority 1 for trimming

Contract removals began November 2017 and were completed in June 2018. The initiative funds came from the City's General, Insurance, Refuse, and Contingency Funds. This project allowed us to be proactive in future work and focus on preventative maintenance.

Infected Ash trees 
Not all removals are Ash trees infected by emerald ash borer. Ash trees account for about 10% of these removals. Many of the trees in this project are 40-50 year old trees with structural issues.

 

Stump grinding
Stumps will be ground after removal. 1,200 more existing stumps will also be removed for replacement tree planting. 

 

Replanting your own tree
You can replant your own tree. Just make sure you Request a Tree Planting.

 

Existing tree service requests
Current service requests for priority 1 trees are included in the work. Other low priority service requests will be addressed when the initiative is complete.
 
City's tree planting plans
This initiative won't impact our planting plans. Our approach to planting trees focuses on contracted and volunteer tree plantings.
 
Urban canopy goal
We may lose canopy as a result of the removals, but this project allows us to improve tree health. This leads to a larger canopy in the long-run.
 
Current tree conditions
Our inventory shows that 86% of these trees are in fair or better condition.

Recent resources

View all resources belonging to this initiative

Progress Map

Would you like to see live updates of our progress in the city? Check out our progress map.

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