A. Care and Maintenance, The Shade Tree Advisory Board under the direction of the Parks Director, or designee shall initiate and administer a program to encourage the planting, maintenance, care, removal and replacement of Shade Trees, consistent with resources available.
B. Standards. All trees located within City streets, parks, rights-of-way, landscape borders, or on City-maintained property shall be maintained according to standards set by the Washington City Shade Tree Manual.
C. City Tree Planting and Maintenance, The City shall have the right to plant, prune, maintain and remove Shade Trees located within the public rights-of-way.
D. Tree Replacement. The City may replace Shade Trees or Other Plantings which have died or been removed for any reason, or plant additional Shade Trees deemed appropriate and consistent with available resources.
E. Tree Topping. A person shall obtain approval to top any Shade Tree, Park Tree, or other tree on public property including but not limited to electrical, gas, telephone and cable companies. Trees damaged by storms or other causes, or certain trees under utility wires or other obstructions where other pruning practices are impractical, may be exempted from this chapter at the determination of the Parks Director, or designee.
F. Debris Removal. The person working on trees on a street, highway, or public area shall remove all debris from the rights-of-way by sunset of the same day, unless specifically authorized to do otherwise by the Parks Director, or designee. The acceptable standard shall be a broom clean finish or better.
G. City Authority. The City may condemn and remove, or order to be removed any tree, tree stump, shrub, or plant upon any of the public owned property within this City where the same is dead, diseased or for any reason whatsoever deemed undesirable or unsafe by the Parks Director, or designee.
H. Root Guard. Root guard products, devices, or that accomplish the same or similar results as a root guard application, shall be used on all trees planted near sidewalks or asphalt. (Ord. 2022-09, 3-9-2022)