Tree Care and Maintenance

man climbing tree with safety ropes and rigging

Trees on private properties, on streets, and on other publicly owned properties provide a multitude of aesthetic and environmental benefits to citizens, businesses and visitors alike. Beyond shade and beauty, trees also have practical benefits and a real monetary value that cities are sometimes unaware of — your urban forest provides valuable public services with quatifiable economic benefits. And, unlike other infrastructure components, properly planted and maintained trees increase in value over time.

Regardless of who owns or is managing the trees, proper tree care is essential for healthy, structurally sound, and long-lived trees.

he Arbor Day Foundation lists the following Steps for Proper Tree Care:

Finding & Selecting a Healthy Tree
Tree Planting
The Importance of Mulch
Tree Watering
When to Prune
Keys to Good Tree Pruning
Tree Pruning Steps from Planting to Maturity
Identify Pest and Disease Problems

Related Resources

Proper Tree Management includes these basic, but important, elements:

Hire certified arborists

Tree care and management can be improved when an arborist is involved. Arborists are tree care professionals: knowledgeable about tree installation, care, preservation and management.

Protect tree(s) during construction or disturbances

Homes are often constructed near existing trees to take advantage of their aesthetic and environmental value. Unfortunately, the processes involved with construction can be deadly to nearby trees.

Do NOT top trees

Avoid the temptation to "top" a tree. Topping is a harmful tree pruning practice and does not make a tree more "safe". Yet, despite more than 25 years of literature and seminars explaining its harmful effects, topping remains a common practice.

Tree Selection & Nursery Specifications

Good maintenance starts with good tree selection. Selecting a tree goes beyond species and mature size. Knowing what a good quality tree looks like is also important.