Maintenance Programs

Emergency tree maintenance addresses hazardous trees. This work may involve any public or private tree within the corporate limits of Cincinnati. The work is contracted and includes but is not limited to the removal, pruning, cleanup and correction of tree failures caused by storms, landslides, vehicles, etc., to publicly-owned street trees. It may also include the removal, pruning or cleanup of privately owned trees that threaten the safety of the public right-of-way to a street.

When a hazardous situation is reported to Urban Forestry, a forester or forestry technician investigates the problem and takes the proper corrective action. This may include simply pruning out a dangerous limb or removing the entire tree. Trees in poor condition, such as those with extensive decay, root rot, unsound structure, untreatable insect or disease problems, or a dangerous lean are marked for removal. Another hazardous defect is dead wood, defined as large dead branches still attached to or hanging from a tree. Dead wood is unpredictable and therefore pruned to remove the hazard. If a hazardous situation exists, the options are to either prune the tree or remove it.

If removing the tree is necessary, it will be marked with a yellow "X". All wood greater than six inches in diameter is cut to firewood length and stacked on the tree lawn. The wood is free for the public to take and any wood not picked up after two weeks can be removed by calling the Urban Forestry Program at 861- 9070.

After a tree is removed, another contractor grinds out the stump and surface roots one foot below the soil grade. The stump grinding is completed within 30 to 60 days after removal of the hazardous tree. Most of the material left from the stump grinding is removed from the site and about four to six inches of grindings are left in the area above the soil surface. This will slowly level out as it sinks due to compaction, settling and decomposition and typically takes one year to occur. If the street lawn area meets Cincinnati Parks Natural Resource Management Section planting requirements, a replacement tree may be planted during the spring or fall planting season. Typically, it is not good to replant on the same spot as the previous stump if the tree was large.

If you have any questions or comments regarding a hazardous or dangerous tree, stump removals, or replacement trees, you should call Urban Forestry at 513-861-9070, and speak with the Urban Forester for your community.