The work is focused on safety and tree health. It will include removing 13 trees that either pose a danger or have reached the end of their lifetimes, as well as trimming and reinforcing work on dozens of other trees.
There are more than 1,700 trees on campus, and the planned work is part of a regular program of care and maintenance. It is somewhat more extensive than in recent years, due to a recent safety review.
Trees to be removed include a Liquidambar, four Silk Oaks, a Yellow Cedar, a Siberian Elm, an apple tree and a few Dogwood trees. Numerous Redwoods and Douglas Firs will be pruned.
The Campus Landscape Advisory Group has reviewed and endorsed the plans.
Over the next year, there are also plans to plant up to 20 new trees. These will be chosen for both landscape and academic value, with guidance from faculty members on the Advisory Group who use campus tree specimens in their teaching.
The tree maintenance work will begin Jan. 2 and is expected to last approximately one week. All of the work will be coordinated by the campus Grounds Manager (a certified arborist) with much of the removal and structural pruning work conducted by a contractor with support from campus grounds crews.