Agenda Report
Fullerton City Council
MEETING DATE: SEPTEMBER 19, 2023
TO: CITY COUNCIL / SUCCESSOR AGENCY
SUBMITTED BY: STEPHEN BISE, PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR
PREPARED BY: JULIO JACOBO, LANDSCAPE SUPERVISOR II
MARCELO RIVAS, ADMINISTRATIVE ANALYST I
SUBJECT: URBAN FOREST PRUNING MANAGEMENT
SUMMARY
A presentation regarding urban forest pruning management.
RECOMMENDATION
Receive and file.
CITY MANAGER REMARKS
Based on public concerns that have been expressed regarding some of the pruning management strategies, we thought it would be appropriate to have an overview at the City Council.
PRIORITY POLICY STATEMENT
This item matches the following Priority Policy Statements:
Public Safety
Infrastructure and City Assets.
FISCAL IMPACT
No fiscal impact generated by this item.
DISCUSSION
The City manages approximately 40,000 trees in the public right-of-way in residential neighborhoods, in front of businesses, parks and trails. The City has a rich and diversified inventory of specimen and parkway trees, some of which date back to the CIty founding and incorporation. These trees have provided shade for residents and shelter for wildlife for decades thanks to the actions of residents and staff committed to beautifying the environment for the well-being of residents, businesses and visitors.
The City of Fullerton maintains its trees in accordance with American National Standards Institute A300 standards as well as the International Society of Arboriculture Best Management Practices. The current pruning management system consists of twenty-five districts, including street, park and trail trees.
The consistent practice of scheduled grid pruning is essential to the health, structure, safety and aesthetics of trees and provides the most important function in sustaining the tree population. Proper pruning improves the tree structure and reduces branch failure. The growth characteristics of the tree species determine pruning frequency. Staff estimates the Fullerton tree inventory requires pruning an average of every four years. City staff coordinates with a contractor to assign the annually scheduled districts for routine inspection and maintenance.
Fullerton has implemented Large Scale Pruning (Crown Reduction) for all Chinese Elm trees since 2017-18 to reduce the frequency of sudden limb failure common with Chinese Elms due to their unique and unbalanced architecture. Work order data shows limb failure has reduced by 95% since 2017-18, proving the effectiveness of crown reduction on Chinese Elms.
Attachments:
Attachment 1 – Urban Forest Pruning Management PowerPoint cc: City Manager Eric J. Levitt
Urban Forest Pruning Management
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