Insight into the city’s trees

Ever wonder why the city of Los Angeles treats its trees as it does? Want to know more about the trees planted along your sidewalk? This website will fill you in.

The Web pages describe the Street Tree Division’s policies and efforts to create a sustainable urban forest, to trim trees responsibly and to recycle 100% of the green waste generated by routine maintenance. Other pages explain how the city selects, installs and maintains more than 600,000 trees along 6,500 miles of public right-of-way.

The site tells property owners what they may do to a street tree (very little without permission); what they are responsible for (all damage to pavement and sewer lines caused by a city tree); and what they should do if they think a tree needs pruning or removal.

The interactive Street Tree Selection Guide, illustrated with photos and maintained by the Urban Forest Ecosystems Institute at Cal Poly Pomona, is excellent.

Though some language is thickly bureaucratic and two links are outdated, the site provides important answers to residents’ questions. A click on the Bureau of Street Services logo (top right) connects to the organization’s home page and more interesting data, plus PowerPoint presentations on oak trees, green waste composting and more.

-- Lili Singer