City Tree Removal and Replacement Pilot Program

The City of Spokane, Spokane County Conservation District, Avista Utilities and Asplundh Tree Expert Company have developed a cooperative process to assess, prune and remove, as necessary, trees under powerlines within the City of Spokane. This is a program of checks and balances with an established process and assessment criteria.

How It Works

• Asplundh shares tree trimming work plan
• A visual tree assessment is completed on trees in the City of Spokane that are identified as hazardous
• Asplundh, Avista, City of Spokane and SCCD collaborate and mutually agree on best management practices and potential tree removals
• Asplundh notifies customers about any tree trimming and removal activities
• If the parties agree to remove a tree:
  - City issues tree removal permit
  - Asplundh removes the tree
  - City grinds stump and removes wood
  - SCCD replants Class 1 street tree appropriate for under power lines

Visual Tree Assessment Criteria

Hazard Tree Criteria

• Scaffold branch or main stem cracks
• Scaffold branch or main trunk decay with less than 1-inch of sound wood remaining for every 6-inches in diameter
• Severe cases of included bark
• Decay of buttress roots and/or anchoring roots
• Severed anchoring roots
• Scaffold branches 8-inches or greater that could “lion tail” and cause hazards
• Unnatural lean
• Abnormally high dieback in crown
• Clearance pruning that would eliminatemore than 45% of functional canopy

Other Criteria for Removal and Replacement

• Small diameter volunteer trees
• Trees resprouting from stumps
• Recently planted undesirable trees 3-inch diameter or less

For more information on this pilot program, contact Garth Davis at the Conservation District (509) 535-7274.