BURBANK : City Slashes Charge for Planting Trees

Burbank has slashed the price it charges to plant trees in front of homes and businesses that do not have trees along the sidewalks in front of them.

The city reduced its tree-planting price to $30 from $85 for residences, and to $55 from $185 for businesses.

In residential areas, the city sets a goal of planting 500 trees a year but typically only plants about 300 to 400 trees, said Janice Bartolo, deputy director for park services for the Burbank Parks and Recreation Department. The reduced prices are intended to encourage residents and business people to request more trees. The city has set aside $40,000 to subsidize the reduced prices.

The city is asking residents to water the trees and let the city know when they should be pruned. The watering is not any more than they would need for their lawns, Bartolo said. City maintenance crews handle the rest of the tree care.

“We don’t know whether or not this will occur again,” Bartolo said.

Trees will only be planted in front of properties at which there are no trees in the public parkway or along the sidewalk.