The City follows the pruning standards published by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and best management practices published by the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) in the care and maintenance of city trees. The City encourages residents to utilize and follow the current standards and best management practices in the care and maintenance of their trees.

Pruning is the most common type of tree maintenance but requires knowledge of the way the tree grows. Pruning helps a tree develop proper structure, controls its size, directs its growth, and maintains its health, safety, and beauty. Prune trees to remove dead, damaged, diseased, crossing, and rubbing branches. For personal safety and to ensure proper pruning techniques are executed, consider hiring a certified arborist for trees greater than 12 feet tall.
Please contact the City’s Arborist for questions regarding street tree pruning at (805) 564-5433.

Tree Care During the Drought

During the drought it is important to remember to water your trees, including any City street tree adjacent to your residence.  Trees will show subtle signs of drought including browning, wilting or dropping leaves.  However, they can be seriously injured or die without water.  A little investment now can save big when it comes to tree care.  Select from the resources below to learn more, plus follow these practices: 

Watering Trees:

1. Water your tree and any street tree near your home.
2. Water 1 foot from the base of the tree in a donut ring at the drip line.
3. Water between the hours of 6pm and 8am.
4. Water slowly and deeply so water percolates down into the soil, electing for one or two deep waterings as opposed to several light ones.
5. Once or twice a year, water 3 times longer than normal to help leach salts out of the root zone.

General Tree Care:

1. Avoid using fertilizers as they can cause root injury when soil moisture is low.
2. Use mulch around the tree, but not touching the tree, to decrease soil evaporation.
3. Don't prune live tissue, only dead wood.

Tree Care Resources 

• Tree Watering During Drought 
• Don’t Top Trees
• Tree Planting Specifications
• Community Guide to Tree Planting
• Pruning Mature Trees
• International Society of Arboriculture Pruning Guide Pruning and tree care information
• Arbor Day Pruning Guide More pruning and tree care information
• Plant Amnesty Pruning Guide Pruning topics and regional pruning guides