TO: COMMUNITY AND HUMAN SERVICES COMMISSION
FROM: JEREMY SWAN, COMMUNITY SERVICES DIRECTOR
DATE: MAY 6, 2026
SUBJECT:
Title
TREE PLANTINGS AND REMOVALS FOR FEBRUARY 2026
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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 month of February 2026. There were sixty trees planted and eight trees removed in the month of February 2026.
RECOMMENDATION
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the Community and Human Services Commission receive and file the tree plantings and removals report for February 2026.
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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 trees were planted during the month of February 2026. Thirty-eight 15-gallon-sized trees were planted at a cost of $220 each, for a total of $8,360. Two 24”-box-sized trees were planted at a cost of $420 each, for a total of $840. Three 36’-box-sized trees were planted at a cost of $1,100 each, for a total of $3,300. Community members paid for planting of the 24”- and 36”-box trees through the City’s Gift to the City and Residential Pay Programs.
Plantings in February 2026 also included the replanting of trees on Forbes Avenue that were removed in November 2025 as part of the Southern California Edison (SCE) Removal Program. The City’s contractor, West Coast Arborists, Inc. (WCA), replanted seventeen trees at their contracted hourly rate, for a total of $3,420. Staff is working with SCE on reimbursement for the planting of these seventeen trees. The total cost to plant all sixty trees in the month of February 2026 was $15,920.
Eight trees were removed during the month of February 2026. Staff removed two trees at no cost to the City, and WCA removed six trees. Removal cost is based on the diameter at breast height of the tree, and the total cost for removing the six trees was $5,034.
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 trees planted in the month of February 2026. Thirty-eight 15-gallon-sized trees were planted. Two 24”-box-sized trees and three 36”-box-sized trees were planted through the City’s Gift to the City and Residential Pay Programs. All trees were planted in the City’s rights-of-way and parks.
Plantings in February 2026 also included the replanting of trees on Forbes Avenue that were removed in November 2025 as part of the Southern California Edison Removal Program. Under the program, SCE agreed to cover the cost of removal and replanting of eighteen trees on the east side of Forbes Avenue. Two of the eighteen planting sites in this project location were considered non-viable for replanting; therefore, one additional tree was planted on the west side of Forbes Avenue. West Coast Arborists, Inc. planted seventeen 24”-box-sized trees provided by SCE, and staff is working with SCE to be reimbursed for WCA’s planting costs.
A list of plantings from February 2026 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 reasons for removal listed in the report will be based upon the conditions listed in the manual.
Eight trees were removed from the City’s rights-of-way during the month of February 2026. City staff removed two trees, and WCA removed six 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 some of the trees removed during the month of February 2026 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 - February 2026
B - Trees Removed by Address - February 2026
C - Photos of Removed Trees - February 2026