Forestry

Contact Forestry Services for trees in the public right-of way. For trees on private property, contact Code Enforcement.

Please be prepared to describe the location, and the size of tree or limb that failed.

The City is responsible for all cleanup of City maintained trees.

The City will assist with private tree and limb failures that impact the right-of-way. Forestry Services will open up the right-of-way, but it is the responsibility of the owner of the tree to clean up and dispose of the tree, as well as hire a Licensed Tree Contractor if any followup work is needed.

If a tree is interfering with power lines, contact Longmont Power & Communications (LPC) at 303-651-8386.

LPC trims trees in public right of ways, including streets and alleys, near all main high-voltage lines that bring power to the poles near your home or business. Trees completely on private property that interfere with the lines running from poles to your house or business are the responsibility of the property owner.

The City of Longmont produces a lot wood from trees that are removed. We are working toward formalizing a process for that would allow both residents and urban wood milling operations to obtain wood from removed trees. Currently, however, Forestry Services cannot donate or sell any wood.

Forestry Services must approve the location and species of tree prior to planting. Submit a request through ServiceWorks, and Forestry Services will review the request. Planting a tree without prior approval from Forestry Services may require the tree to be removed.

No. If you believe a City tree needs maintenance, please submit a request through ServiceWorks or contact the PWNR Customer Service Center at 303-651-8416.

Yes. Residents can submit a request through ServiceWorks for Forestry Services to review. Forestry Services staff members are trained in proper tree selection, and can help you decide what tree is best suited for the site.

Yes. You can submit a request through ServiceWorks, and Forestry Services will review the request. Forestry Services does its best to accommodate all planting requests, however occasionally a request may not be able to be fulfilled.

• Per Chapter 6.88 – Tree Contractor License, of the City of Longmont Municipal Code, all tree pruning and removal work must take place by a City of Longmont Licensed Tree Contractor. View a list of licensed tree contractors.
• Plant health care, stump grinding, tree planting, and other general landscape work may be performed by a company other than a City of Longmont Licensed Tree Contractor.
• Forestry Services does not recommend one contractor over another. All Licensed Tree Contractors meet the minimum requirements of liability insurance, automobile insurance, and having a staff member with a Certification from the International Society of Arboriculture. Tree contractors have also passed a practical field test with a Forestry Services staff member that evaluates the climber on safe work practices, and current pruning standards.

The City’s Forestry Services does not provide consultations on private trees, unless there are citywide insect and disease issues requiring private tree inspections.

Currently, emerald ash borer (EAB) is a widespread, invasive insect present in Longmont that has lethal effects to all ash trees and may require Forestry Services to inspect privately owned trees, as described in Chapter 13.24.050. – Infected or Infested Trees of the City of Longmont Municipal Code.

Forestry Services seeks to replant whenever possible. Generally, planting occurs March through June, with stump grinding occurring beforehand.When replanting trees, Forestry Services must remain 10 feet away from buried water and gas lines and give adequate space from adjacent trees to allow for a tree canopy to fully mature. The location of the utilities may restrict the ability to replant. Forestry Services staff members will communicate to you if there are limitations to replanting.

Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) is an invasive insect that was found in Longmont in 2016 and threatens all ash trees in Longmont. Forestry Services encourages you to work with a City of Longmont Licensed Tree Contractor to discuss your options for your ash trees.

Forestry Service provides a map of all public ash trees in Longmont and whether or not they’ve been treated. While viewing the map you can click on each tree to see if the ash tree is treated for protection from Emerald Ash Borer (EAB).

All ash wood can be disposed of at the City of Longmont’s Waste Diversion Center.

Please refrain from taking any ash wood outside of Longmont to help prevent the spread of Emerald Ash Borer to other areas of Colorado.

Forestry Services has a schedule for routine inspections of all publicly maintained trees. Generally, trees that are located in places with more vehicle and/or pedestrian traffic are inspected more often and pruned more often.The goal of routine maintenance is to create beneficial branching structure for large trees, provide vertical clearance, reduce hazards and increase tree health.Annual inspections are made of trees located in the “Old Town” area (generally, between 1st and 11th Avenues, and from Sunset to Martin Streets) and in parks and facilities with large trees that are maintained by Forestry Services. Inspection does not necessarily mean a tree will be pruned. Forestry Services works to balance tree health with safety when considering pruning options.This routine inspection assists in creating an annual work plan. Generally, large tree pruning and removals are performed by contractors during the winter months, and small to medium sized trees are pruned and removed by Forestry Services throughout the year.

Trees young and old need water, especially in Colorado. Between scorching summer temperatures and winter months that often have low precipitation, your trees are thirsty!

Wonder how much water your tree needs? [Denver Water has put together a great guide detailing just that.](https://www.denverwater.org/residential/efficiency-tip/tree-care-guide#:~:text=When watering restrictions prohibit turf,trees two times per month.)

Forestry Services waters young trees during the establishment period, but assistance from adjacent property owners is appreciated. Please contact ServiceWorks if you’d like to take over watering of a public tree (of any size) adjacent to your property. Forestry Services can provide a tree watering bag to assist you with watering.

Longmont Water rates are less than a penny per gallon. ($00.00538 to be precise.) For a newly planted tree, around two inches in diameter, the minimum water requirement of 20 gallons per week will cost about a dime! That’s a great deal, especially when you consider the value trees provide. Trees offer benefits such as cooling savings, increased home value, oxygen production and so much more.

The Front Range Tree Recommendation List is a well put together, comprehensive list that can help you decide what tree is right for you.

Talk to your neighbor first to see if you can get them to take some action.

If you think a limb or tree could fail and damage your property, you can contact Code Enforcement to submit a complaint. Code Enforcement may be able to assist in the situation.

Per Chapter 13.24.060 – Dead or Unsafe Trees, a property owner shall remove dead, dying or structurally unsound trees or limbs that may cause injury to an adjacent person or property.

As trees mature and grow in size, the roots continue to increase in diameter. Either due to the size of the tree, soil characteristics, tree species or a combination of the previously listed items, sidewalk panels may be lifted.In many situations PWNR Operations can work with a contractor to grind the edge of concrete to reduce or eliminate a tripping hazard. In severe cases, sidewalk panels are removed and base levels beneath the panels are increased prior to a new panel being installed.Sometimes roots are cut to eliminate the roots that lifted the sidewalk panel and new panels are poured to replace the lifted panel. Operations and Forestry Services work together in many of these cases to find solutions.To report a lifted sidewalk panel, submit a request through ServiceWorks or call the PWNR Customer Service Center at 303-651-8416.

• Visit the Colorado Department of Agriculture for information on the options for ash trees.

Paint dots are used for Forestry Services to identify trees with maintenance needs for Forestry staff or contractors.

• Blue paint dots indicate pruning work to take place.
• Orange paint dots indicate removals to take place.
• Green paint dots indicate treatment for emerald ash borer (EAB), and will stay on the tree and be periodically refreshed.

Either contact a City of Longmont Licensed Tree Contractor or submit a request through ServiceWorks, and Forestry may be able to assist you in determining if your tree has EAB.

The Spirit of Arbor Day Tree Sale occurs annually, and sales typically occur in March. See more about the Spirit of Arbor Day Tree Sale.

Visit Colorado State University Extension to access resources on tree maintenance, insects and diseases that affect trees, and other useful information.

If you are a resident of Longmont and pay a monthly utility bill, you can take materials to the Waste Diversion Center located at 140 Martin St. Please bring a copy of your most recent City of Longmont utility bill and a photo ID.

Longmont Forestry Services typically maintains trees at City parks, City facilities, City-maintained greenways and trees in City rights-of-way that do not have maintenance agreements with the adjacent property owners.See a map of all the trees Forestry Services maintains.

Per Chapter 13.24.020. – Responsibility for trees and plants, of the City of Longmont Municipal Code, “the adjacent property owner is responsible for the care, maintenance and removal of trees and plants up to the center of the alley.”

Yes. Forestry Services policy is to make contact with an adjacent resident prior to removing a tree. Rare situations may occur when a tree is actively failing and must be removed without prior notice to the adjacent property owner.

Generally, Forestry Services will not notify you prior to pruning a tree adjacent to your property. Forestry Services will notify you about pruning if the tree in the right-of-way is located behind the sidewalk.