TO: COMMUNITY AND HUMAN SERVICES COMMISSION
FROM: JEREMY SWAN, COMMUNITY SERVICES DIRECTOR
DATE: FEBRUARY 4, 2026
SUBJECT:
Title
TREE PLANTINGS AND REMOVALS FOR OCTOBER AND NOVEMBER 2025
Body
SUMMARY
The adopted Tree Policies and Guidelines Manual requires the Community Services Department to provide a monthly report on tree plantings and removals. This report includes information on City tree plantings and removals for the months of October and November 2025. There were sixty-eight trees planted and twenty-three trees removed in the months of October and November 2025.
RECOMMENDATION
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the Community and Human Services Commission receive and file the tree plantings and removals report for October and November 2025.
Body
ALTERNATIVE TO RECOMMENDATION
In addition to the recommendation, there is the following alternative:
• Refer the item back to staff for additional information.
FINANCIAL REVIEW
Sixty-eight trees were planted during the months of October and November 2025. Sixty-seven 15-gallon-size trees were planted by the City’s contractor, West Coast Arborists, Inc. (WCA) at a cost of $220 each. The total cost to plant all sixty-seven trees was $14,740. One 36”-box-size tree was planted by WCA at a cost of $1,100, which was paid by a property owner through the City’s Residential Pay Program.
Twenty-three trees were removed during the months of October and November 2025. Staff removed six trees at no cost to the City, and WCA removed seventeen trees. Removal cost is based on the diameter at breast height of the tree, and the total cost for removing the seventeen trees was $15,239.
ANALYSIS
The Community Services Department is responsible for the daily management of the City’s urban forest, including the planting and removal of City trees. The City-Council-adopted Tree Policies and Guidelines Manual establishes the standards governing the tree planting and removal process.
Plantings
There were sixty-eight trees planted in the months of October and November 2025. All sixty-eight trees were planted by WCA with the City’s rights-of-way. Sixty-seven trees were 15-gallon-size. One property owner chose to increase the size of tree planted to a 36” box, and paid for the larger tree through the City’s Residential Pay Program. A listing of trees planted by address is included as Attachment A.
Removals
It is the City's policy to protect and preserve healthy trees that provide valuable benefits to our environment and to the quality of life in Claremont. However, staff has the authority to remove City trees if a tree is considered dead, in a state of advanced decline, or hazardous. Additionally, per the Tree Policies and Guidelines Manual, staff has the authority to remove trees that are causing hardscape/infrastructure damage if the repairs cannot be made without severe root pruning that would jeopardize the health and stability of the tree. To be consistent with the Tree Policies and Guidelines Manual, the reason for removal listed in the report will be based upon the conditions listed in the manual.
Twenty-three trees were removed from the City’s parks and rights-of-way during the months of October and November 2025. City staff removed six trees, and WCA removed seventeen trees. These removals include trees that were deemed by the City Arborist dead, in a state of advanced decline, or hazardous. A listing of trees removed by address is included as Attachment B. Sample photos of the trees removed during the months of October and November 2025 are included as Attachment C.
CEQA REVIEW
This item is not subject to environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
PUBLIC NOTICE PROCESS
The agenda and staff report for this item have been posted on the City website and distributed to interested parties. If you desire a copy, please contact the City Clerk’s Office.
Submitted by: Prepared by:
Jeremy Swan Cari Dillman
Community Services Director Community Services Manager
Attachments:
A - Trees Planted by Address - October and November 2025
B - Trees Removed by Address - October and November 2025
C - Photos of Removed Trees - October and November 2025