A. Tree Inventory: The city may conduct an inventory of trees within the public rights of way. Said inventory may include: the number of trees, type, location, spacing, size (height, caliper, and canopy), condition (health, disease, and damage), encroachments (surface, underground, overhead, pedestrian or vehicular traffic) and ownership (private, city, other).
B. Tree Education: The city may implement a tree educational program which may include, but shall not be limited to: instructional sheets, diagrams, pamphlets, school presentations, Arbor Day celebrations, etc.
C. Tree Districts: Districts may be formed to facilitate specialized tree plantings and formation of management areas that address a beautification theme or similar effect. The trees may be under one ownership, regardless of property boundaries or frontage. Areas where districts may be formed include, but are not limited to, Main Street, city entryways, gardens, parks or cemeteries.
D. Tree Forestry: The city may organize and budget for a forestry crew with personnel, equipment, training, supplies and materials. Contract labor and equipment may also be used.
E. Shade Tree Commission: As deemed necessary by the city council a shade tree commission may be organized.
F. Tree Ownership: Trees shall be owned and maintained by the individual or group planting the trees unless designated otherwise. Existing trees within the public rights of way shall be under the ownership and management of the adjacent and abutting property owner(s).
G. Tree Varieties: Only those tree varieties authorized by the city shall be planted within the public rights of way. Acceptable trees are those whose roots, trunks, and branches will not encroach upon adjacent improvements such as curbs, gutters, sidewalks, pipes, wires, streetlights, fire hydrants, utilities, etc., and will not impede pedestrian or vehicular traffic. Only fruitless tree varieties should be planted. A list of trees that may be planted in the public rights of way and a list of trees that are prohibited are listed below.
PRICE CITY RECOMMENDED PARKWAY TREES
Recommended to be planted in Price City public right of way (5 feet width or greater) parkways:
American hornbeam (or, musclewood)
Amur chokecherry
Amur maackia
Bradford pear (fruitless variety)
Callery pear (fruitless variety)
Chitalpa
Flowering cherry (fruitless variety) (or, Myrobalan)
Flowering plum (fruitless variety)
Fringetree (or, white fringetree)
Japanese lilac
Mulberry (fruitless variety)
Purple leaf plum (fruitless variety)
Note: Trees are not to be planted in parkways that are less than five feet (5') in width, to avoid conflict with utilities (above or under ground) and/or obstruct sight distance.
TREES NOT RECOMMENDED
It is recommended that the following trees not be planted anywhere within Price City limits:
Box elder
Undesirable as an ornamental. Often becomes nearly completely defoliated in early summer by the box elder leaf roller.
Box elder bugs can be a nuisance where female trees are found (they feed on the fruit).
Weak wooded and have poor branch structure. Difficult to prune and remove.
Trees get very large and require large amount of moist deep soil and area.
Chinese elm
Has many undesirable features and should not be planted in most cases.
Weak wood. Difficult to prune and remove.
Diseases and insects cause problems for this species.
Cottonwood
Weak wooded and have poor branch structure. Trees grow very large and are dangerous to people and property. Difficult to prune and remove.
Requires large amounts of water.
The cotton like material that the tree produces becomes a large nuisance to all surrounding properties.
Globe willow
Weak wood and/or branch structure. Susceptibility to slime flux and other disease and insect problems. Overwhelming branch and canopy. Uproots sidewalks. Difficult to prune and remove.
Prefers abundant water. Rarely should be planted.
Dropping limbs and branches are extremely obnoxious. The grass below the tree often dies away.
Russian olive
This tree is very aggressive, weedy, drops many seeds, has thorns, and has been declared a noxious weed in Carbon, Duchesne, and Uintah Counties in Utah. It has caused some serious environmental degradation and should not be planted.
Tamarisk
This shrubby tree is a pest and should not be planted because of its weedy characteristics.
Drops a lot of seeds that flourish and overtake the surrounding area.
H. Location Of Trees: Trees may be planted in the street parkway. The parkway is the space between the street back of curb and front edge of sidewalk. Trees should not be planted in parkways that are less than five feet (5') wide.
I. Spacing: Trees shall be planted so that they do not create a hedge or obscure adequate sight distance important to pedestrians and vehicular traffic. On a street corner no trees shall be planted within a forty foot by forty foot (40' x 40') triangle, from the intersecting property lines, in order to provide adequate corner sight distance.
J. Planting: A hole of sufficient width and depth shall be excavated to allow adequate room for tree roots. Following placement of the new tree, the hole should be backfilled with the excavated and/or other suitable material that will encourage adequate growth of the tree. Generally accepted tree planting procedures should be followed and Blue Stakes should always be called before digging.
K. Care: Once a tree is planted then it shall be maintained to promote the health of the tree, to prevent unnecessary encroachment and to ensure public safety. Care shall include watering, fertilizing, pruning, removal and applying herbicide or pesticides, if needed.
L. Clearances: No part of a tree shall overhang the public right of way such that it blocks pedestrian passage, vehicle travel, streetlights and adequate sight distance. Trees shall not be planted closer to: a driveway or alley than ten feet (10'), a fire hydrant than five feet (5') and a stop sign than thirty feet (30'). Avoid planting in front of any sign. In all cases measure from the center of the tree trunk. Be aware of what size the full grown tree trunk diameter will be.
M. Growth: Tree growth shall be managed to enable a tree to reach its intended size and shape. The height, trunk, limbs, roots, width and spread should be monitored to prevent: obscuring sight distance, blocking pedestrian and vehicle passage, covering streetlight illumination or damage to utilities and improvements. Seasonal cleanup of leaves, limbs, seeds, fruit droppings and other debris associated with trees within the public rights of way shall be the responsibility of the adjacent and abutting property owners.
N. Pruning: Trees shall be pruned to remove: overgrowth, diseased, dead, decayed or broken limbs, parts of the tree causing a problem with utilities, tree limbs obstructing sight distance or inhibiting pedestrian and vehicle movement or otherwise creating an unsafe condition. Tree limbs shall not obstruct a clear space of eight feet (8') over sidewalks or thirteen feet (13') over streets. Trees with multiple trunks shall be pruned to prevent bush like growth. The spoils from tree pruning shall not be left in the public right of way, but shall be removed and disposed of properly in a timely way. Weather related tree damage shall be removed.
O. Removal: Should a tree create a problem that cannot be resolved by pruning or other tree care methods, then it is to be removed. Removal shall include bringing the entire tree down to the ground. The stump shall be removed by excavating and/or grinding. If necessary, the tree shall be treated before removal to prevent growth from the stump or spread of roots. When removing a tree, the area around the tree impacted by falling branches, shall be secured including placement of traffic control as needed. The spoils of the tree removal shall be removed from the public rights of way and disposed of properly in a timely way. Blue Stakes should always be called before digging.
P. Safety: Safety precautions should be implemented when climbing, cutting, pruning or removing a tree. No one should ever attempt to work in or around a tree that has grown into surface, underground or overhead utilities.
Q. Abuse; Mutilation Or Vandalism Of Trees: No person shall intentionally, maliciously or neglectfully damage, cut, scalp, break, hit, treat, carve, burn, nail into, bind with wire, etc., any tree.
R. Notification: Blue Stakes should always be contacted prior to digging and the city should be alerted if tree limbs extend into overhead wires (power, telephone, cable, etc.).
S. Emergency: The city shall have the right to prune or remove a tree that poses an immediate danger to property, pedestrians, or vehicular traffic. The city shall make a reasonable effort to notify the adjacent property owner and/or tree owner prior to commencement of pruning or tree removal.
T. Private Property: On private property small or medium size trees shall not be planted any closer to the sidewalk than five feet (5') and large trees shall not be planted any closer to the sidewalk than ten feet (10'). Trees should not be planted such that they interfere with overhead, surface or underground utilities, nor pedestrian or vehicular traffic. Removal or the avoidance of planting trees considered undesirable, noxious or a nuisance is encouraged. (Res. 2011-04, 2011)