Most of this work will be done by a private firm contracted by the Village. Trimming will follow professional standards established by the tree care industry.

Most important, and most visible, is that trees are trimmed to a minimum height of 14 feet over the roadway. This allows for safe clearance by all vehicular and pedestrian traffic. It also ensures that signage in the parkway is clearly visible. Trimming is also required for limbs that are diseased, broken, hanging, dead, in contact with other limbs, interfering with utility lines or street lights, interfering with other trees on private property, infested with insects, weakly attached, or structurally unsound.

Public safety is the top priority of the Village’s tree trimming program, followed by tree health and then aesthetics. Street trees have different maintenance requirements than landscape trees, and are therefore pruned accordingly. Normally no more than one quarter of the live crown will be removed at one time. The determination of how much to remove depends on tree species, size, and condition of the tree, as well as the duration between trim cycles. The Village strives to maintain a 6-year trim cycle for trees greater than 6 inches in diameter and a 3-year cycle for trees less than 6 inches. The shorter the trimming cycle, the less live material needs to be removed. The natural form of the tree is maintained as much as possible, with tree growth directed upward and outward.

Throughout the year, the Village’s in-house forestry crew trims smaller parkway trees. This allows for a gradual raising of the crown, correction of defects early in the tree’s life, and smaller pruning wounds which close more rapidly.

Questions regarding the Village’s tree trimming program may be directed to the Public Works Department at 630-620-5740.