Village winter tree trimming to begin in January

LOMBARD, Illinois— The Village of Lombard will be trimming all of the Village-owned parkway trees from Crystal to Hickory between Main St. and Route 53 this winter. Work will begin in January. (See the attached map for the area to be trimmed.)

The work will be done by Nels J. Johnson Tree Experts, a private tree firm contracted by the Village of Lombard Forestry Division. Trees will be trimmed according to strict professional standards set forth within the tree care industry. The following information is provided to explain what these standards entail.

Most importantly, and most visible, is the fact that trees are trimmed to a minimum height of 14 feet on all sides. This allows for safe clearance by all vehicular and pedestrian traffic. It also ensures that any signage in the parkway is clearly visible. The remaining extent of trimming includes the removal of diseased limbs, broken and hanging limbs, dead wood, sucker growth, limbs that come in contact with other limbs, limbs that interfere with utility lines or street lights, limbs that interfere with vegetation on private property, limbs infested with insects, weakly attached or structurally unsound limbs and correction of storm damage.

Please remember that public safety is the Village's first priority, followed by tree health and then aesthetics. Street trees have different maintenance requirements than landscape trees and are therefore pruned accordingly. Normally, no more than one-

quarter to one-third of the live crown will be removed at one time, according to Steve Kremske, Forestry & Urban Landscape Supervisor for the Village's Public Works Department. The determination of how much to remove is dependent upon tree species, size and condition of the tree, as well as the duration between trim cycles. The Village tries to maintain a five-year trim cycle for trees greater than six inches in diameter and a three-year cycle for trees less than six inches. The shorter the trimming cycle, the less live material needs to be removed, added Kremske. The natural form of the tree is maintained as much as possible, with tree growth directed upward and outward, he added.

During the year, the in-house Forestry crew will be trimming all of the smaller parkway trees throughout the Village. This proactive trimming allows for a gradual raising of the crown, correction of defects early in the tree's life and smaller pruning wounds which close rapidly, pointed out Kremske.

Questions regarding the Village's tree trimming program are directed to the Public Works Department, Forestry Division at (630) 620-5740.