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A PERMIT IS REQUIRED TO REMOVE CITY TREES

The City of Chico wants to warn homeowners to be wary if approached by anyone other than the City about removing a City tree, especially in exchange for or if offered payment for the wood. As a reminder, street trees cannot be removed without an approved City Tree Removal Permit, and it is the City’s policy to allow removal of only dead, dying or dangerous trees. In addition, the City requires that the permitted tree removal work be conducted by a contractor with a valid State contractor’s license, a City Business license, and liability insurance.

The City recently received a tree removal permit application from a homeowner who had been approached by a wood buyer asking permission to remove a City Street tree in front of his home. The tree is a healthy English walnut with a nice burl, and the broker told the homeowner it was an old tree with potential limb breakage. The homeowner stated that this was the second year in a row that he was approached about this burl.

The City denied the permit and would like to make contractors and brokers aware that soliciting any homeowner about removing City Street trees is not acceptable. If at any time the City decides to sell or exchange tree removal work for the wood from City trees, it would be under contract through a competitive bid process and adjacent homeowners and the public would be notified beforehand.

When solicited to remove private trees, the City’s Urban Forest Manager recommends homeowners obtain a second opinion from an independent tree expert before agreeing to a contract. In addition, any work costing more than $500 requires a licensed California contractor’s license and it always a good idea to request the contractor to provide a certificate of insurance for both their liability and workers compensation insurance.

For more information, contact the City of Chico’s Urban Forest Manager Denice Britton at 896-7802 or dbritton@ci.chico.ca.us.