Trees

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The City’s Forestry Section is responsible for the planting, pruning and removal of all trees on City rights-of-way. The Forestry Section also conducts periodic public information workshops to inform citizens of tree-related care, needs and issues.

Tree Service Requests

The City is responsible for the maintenance of all trees located on the City right-of-way. Service requests for emergency and hazardous tree requests will be handled immediately. Non-emergency requests are typically completed within 6 weeks. Exceptions to this rule are requests for pruning in a section or adjacent section currently scheduled for pruning, or requests for removals, that are not imminently hazardous and can be put on an annual removal contract.

Tree Removal

Tree removal occurs when a tree is dead or dying, a tree is considered irreparably hazardous, a tree is causing an obstruction that is impossible to correct through pruning, a tree is crowding and causing harm to other trees, a tree is to be replaced by a more suitable specimen, or to allow for new construction.

Replacement of removals: When spacing allows, all removals will be replaced at City expense. Exceptions to this rule are:

Trees less than six inches in diameter, which were not originally planted by the City. These trees may be replaced through the Share-the-Cost Planting Program, or adjacent homeowners may plant using the City’s approved species list.
When the parkway is too narrow or existing trees too close to the proposed planting site.

Tree Pruning

Why are City of Champaign trees pruned? Pruning is done for the following reasons:

Health – to remove dead or diseased limbs
Structure – to promote a sound tree by removing weakly attached and broken branches, as well as limbs that conflict with each other
Clearance – to allow for the clear flow of pedestrian and vehicular traffic
Future Growth – to “train” the tree to promote growth which will not conflict with the site

Tree pruning is performed by knowledgeable arborists certified by the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA). To qualify as a Certified Arborist an individual must pass an examination covering a wide variety of topics dealing with tree anatomy, biology and proper maintenance techniques. To maintain certification City arborists attend seminars sponsored by the Illinois Arborist Association and related professional organizations. The continuing education units received from such training and seminars ensure that City arborists keep abreast of new information in the field of arboriculture.

City crews strive to preserve the natural shape of the tree by using “thinning” cuts when pruning. A thinning cut removes a branch at its point of origin, or shortens a branch to a lateral large enough to assume a terminal role. “Topping” is an improper form of tree pruning. Topping deforms the tree, accelerates decay, and promotes the formation of poorly attached branches prone to breakage.

With the growing number of satellite dishes, the City has received requests to prune City trees to provide a clear signal. The City will not prune to promote satellite dish reception. If appropriate, the City may issue a permit whereby the homeowner can employ a certified arborist to prune City trees. However, the City may refuse a permit if it deems this pruning unacceptable.

Contact the ISA for information on the following topics: “Pruning Young Trees,” “Pruning Mature Trees,” and “Why Topping Trees Hurts.”

Tree Planting

The planting of trees on public right-of-way in Champaign is regulated by the City vegetation ordinance. This ordinance establishes two ways to plant trees: The first is through Champaign’s share-the-cost tree planting program; the second is through a permit issued to adjacent homeowners or developers.

Share-The-Cost Program

In this program, the City provides shade trees for planting on the public right-of-way at a cost of $100 per tree. The City cooperates with the adjacent homeowner to select the tree species, and the City plants the trees. The homeowner agrees to water the tree during dry periods for the first three years after planting. The City plants in both the spring and fall. Cutoff dates for enrollment are in late February for the spring, and late August for the fall season. First time tree plantings in new developments are not eligible for participation in this program, as the developer is responsible for new tree planting on the right-of-way.

Permit Process

Through the permit process, the adjacent homeowner obtains a free permit from the City to ensure selection of a proper species and proper location. The homeowner bears all the costs associated with planting. As with the cost-share program, the homeowner agrees to water trees during dry periods for the first three years of planting.

Right-of-way Tree Planting Permit application

New Development

In new developments developers are required to plant trees on the City right-of-way. Because of the large scale of plantings, adjacent homeowners can not request a particular species or location. The developer guarantees these trees for one year. If the tree dies after the development period the homeowner may plant using the share-the-cost program or the permit process.

Maintenance

Once a tree is planted on City right-of-way, it becomes the property of the City. The City is responsible for all maintenance. Permits can also be issued for tree maintenance. In those cases, the work must be performed by or under the supervision of a certified arborist. To obtain a list of certified arborists, contact the International Society of Arboriculture at treesaregood.com.

Tree Planting Standards

The planting hole should be 12″-24″ larger in diameter than the diameter of the root ball, and root balls shall be placed on undisturbed subgrade to prevent settling.
The root flare, where roots spread at the tree base, should always be at the ground line. Often nurseries mound soil around the tree base above the root flare. When balled with burlap, the basal flare is hidden. If the tree is planted with the top of the ball at ground line, the tree will have been planted too deeply.
The twine holding the burlap around the ball must be cut and the burlap loosened from around the top of the ball. Wire baskets shall be removed from the top one-half of the root ball prior to backfilling.
The hole should be backfilled and gently tamped so that no air pockets are left around the ball. Backfill soil should not be amended unless planting in building rubble, poor, or severely disturbed soils.
The trunks should be vertical after planting.
Excess soil should be removed from the site and a 3″ to 4″ thick layer of wood chip mulch placed around the base of the tree. Avoid placing wood chip mulch directly in contact with the trunk.
Plants should be watered at the time of planting.
Protective tree wrap should be removed after planting.
Staking is not typically recommended; however, when necessary, follow current recommendations of City Forester; wire in a hose is unacceptable.
Plants should be pruned after planting only to remove broken or dead branches.
Planting Criteria: The parkway must be 8 feet or more in width.
Trees must be 10 feet from driveways, alleys, and fire hydrants.
Trees must be 30 feet from intersections.
Trees must be located a minimum of 50 feet from adjacent trees.
The planting site should be free of overhanging crown growth from trees growing off the right-of-way.