Spring is in the air and many of you are out working hard in your yards and may just have the urge to use those sharp pruning tools. Before you make any cuts on street trees, please know that the City of Coeur d’Alene has tree care requirements and standards for pruning public street trees. These requirements ensure that trees are pruned properly which helps to avoid improper cutting that can lead to a decline of tree health, rapid weak growth, decay and can even create potential street side hazards. “Topping,” “hat-racking,” “rounding over,” or “cutting back” are all harmful to the health and safety of trees, and are not acceptable practices to use on any tree.

Public trees include those growing within the City rights-of-way (street trees), such as in the grassy area between the sidewalk and curb.  If there is no sidewalk along your property, the planting area could be anywhere from 2 feet to over 20 feet back from the curb and any trees planted within that area may be considered public trees.  Right-of-way widths vary from street to street.  To determine whether a tree is growing within the public right-of-way, contact the city’s Urban Forestry section of the Parks & Recreation Department.

Before working on street trees, a tree permit is required.  The permit is free, but comes with valuable information on how to do the work in a way that enhances tree health and function. Removal of public street trees is only allowed only if the tree is in deteriorating condition, poses a hazard, or is causing a traffic or sidewalk problem.  All requests for a tree removal permit are reviewed by the city’s Urban Forestry Committee.

Abutting property owners can choose to hire a city-licensed tree service to do necessary work on public trees. A cost-share program is available for single-family residential locations that can assist with public tree maintenance costs. Through the licensing process, the tree service assures that they are familiar with city standards, have a certified arborist on staff, and are adequately insured.  A list of city-licensed tree services is available, along with multiple resources and brochures on the care and maintenance of public trees, from the Urban Forestry division of the Parks & Recreation Department.  Stop by City Hall (710 E. Mullan Avenue) to pick them up; or check out the list of resources in the Urban Forestry section of the city’s web site at www.cdaid.org; or contact Katie Kosanke, Urban Forestry Coordinator at 208/769-2266.