TO: COMMUNITY AND HUMAN SERVICES COMMISSION
FROM: JEREMY SWAN, COMMUNITY SERVICES DIRECTOR
DATE: MAY 7, 2025
SUBJECT:
Title
TREE PLANTINGS AND REMOVALS FOR FEBRUARY 2025
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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 2025. No trees were planted, and twenty-seven trees were removed in February 2025. The majority of these trees were removed as a result of the January 2025 windstorm.
RECOMMENDATION
Recommended Action
Staff recommends the Community and Human Services Commission receive and file the tree plantings and removals report for February 2025.
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ALTERNATIVES TO RECOMMENDATION
In addition to the recommendation, there is the following alternative:
• Refer the item back to staff for additional information.
FINANCIAL REVIEW
There were no trees planted in the month of February 2025. Twenty-seven trees were removed during the month of February 2025. Two trees were removed by staff at no cost to the City, and twenty-five trees were removed by the City’s contractor, West Coast Arborists, Inc. (WCA). Typically, the removal cost of a tree is based on its diameter at breast height (DBH). Six trees were removed by WCA at the standard DBH rate. The total cost of removal for these four trees was $6,186.
The remaining nineteen trees were removed as part of the City’s emergency response efforts following the January 2025 windstorm. WCA charges an emergency response rate ranging from $100-$140 per hour, but does not distinguish between the removals and other maintenance activities. For the month of February 2025, the cost for emergency response services was $15,369.
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
No trees were planted during the month of February 2025. Due to the emergency response and cleanup required as a result of the January 7, 2025 windstorm, other urban forest maintenance activities such as trimming were delayed. Following the initial response and cleanup, WCA used their resources to catch up on routine urban forest maintenance.
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 have 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-seven trees were removed during the month of February. Two were removed by City staff from the City’s rights-of-way. Twenty-five trees were removed by WCA from the City’s rights-of-way and parks. These removals include trees that were deemed by the City Arborist dead, in a state of advanced decline, or hazardous. This also includes trees that were damaged as a result of the January 2025 windstorm. A listing of trees removed by address is included as Attachment A. Sample photos of some of the trees removed during the month of February 2025 are included as Attachment B.
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 Removed by Address - February 2025
B - Photos of Removed Trees - February 2025