Tree Trimming

Man Trimming a Tree

Why do trees need trimming? 

  • Not all trees need trimming to the same degree, but all trees require some amount of regular pruning. In the forest, trees shed their branches naturally due to shading. When trees are "open grown" in parks and on streets, we must carry out the trimming process.
  • In city parks, trees are trimmed to remove deadwood, to allow parks equipment to manoeuvre under them, to reduce the severity of insect and disease attacks and to keep branches above the hands of vandals.
  • Street trees, on the other hand, must be trimmed to clear wires, and to allow a 14-foot height over roadways so that delivery vans and other vehicles can move easily. We must also remove deadwood, suckers and crossover branches to allow the free flow of air through the tree to reduce insect and disease attack.
  • For efficiency, trees are usually trimmed along an entire street. This keeps costs down and allows the maximum number of trees to be trimmed in the available time.

What would happen if the tree were never trimmed?

Over time, if the tree wasn't trimmed, it would mature and limbs would break off in an irregular fashion, creating decay and eventual death. These broken and decayed branches could become hazards.

For an in-depth overview of tree pruning, please see the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) website.

Area Trim Program

In addition to individual tree trim requests, the City has been conducting an Area Trim program since 2020. Under the Area Trim Program, a tree trimming crew will visit, assess, and trim as required every City-owned tree along each City street in turn. Over a 7-year cycle all city street trees will be visited once for assessment and trimming.

No service requests from residents are required for this service. The City maintains an inventory of city-owned trees. Based on the current inventory of approximately 70,000 street trees, 10,000 trees are trimmed under the Area Trim Program each year. Across the City, four (4) areas have been identified for trimming each year from 2021 through to 2027.