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URBAN FOREST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES U Table 1-9. Average Cost to Prune a Street Tree in Fiscal Year 23/24 4422 $133,440 Current Practices In Pleasanton, street trees are currently divided into $530,640 maintenance districts and mature trees are pruned on a 5 -year cycle by the tree maintenance contractor for clearance. The City does not have an established structural pruning practice. Trees in City -managed parks are not on a defined pruning cycle since trees in parks generally have less interaction with people and infrastructure. The City has noted that while a pruning cycle for park trees may not be feasible at this time, there is a need for regular monitoring of tree health and structural defects. Table 1-9 represents that in fiscal year 23/24 the City spent an average of $150 to prune each street tree. The City would like to keep the current five-year pruning cycle, but may be able to reduce mature tree pruning costs if they spend more on structural pruning of young trees. Structurally pruning significantly reduces the need to prune large trees in the future for structure, which would allow the City to use those extra $ 664,080 $150.17 funds on other goals like increasing tree plantings and establishment care. Recommendations ■ Conduct structural pruning while trees are young and developing branching structure (Gilman 2002). This pruning method helps to correct structural defects when the tree is smaller, therefore reducing the labor costs and trauma to the tree. Structural pruning offers an opportunity to increase tree safety without significantly increasing City funding for tree maintenance. ■ Develop a periodic park tree risk assessment program. Trees with conditions that present a greater risk than the city is willing to accept should be promptly mitigated through pruning or removal. ■ Consider formally adding young tree pruning into the City's establishment care program as discussed in Section 1.3.2. CITY OF PLEASANTON URBAN FOREST MASTER PLAN 1 109