City-Wide Pruning Project

OVERVIEW
In November 2024, the City of Albany will implement a four-year Block Pruning Program to maintain mature street trees across our city. This has not been done in Albany in more than a generation.  It is a significant undertaking that will take 4 years and cost millions of dollars.  

Block Pruning is an industry term for routine cyclical tree maintenance. Proper and timely maintenance is crucial to preserving our trees' health, vigor, and longevity, and it will increase the environmental benefits these trees provide. This Program will focus primarily on trimming trees to establish standard minimum clearances above streets and sidewalks and around buildings and streetlights. If a tree is found to be in decline and needs to be removed during this project, you will be notified prior to removal.

Work will begin in November 2024 and continue through March 2025, during which roughly 25% of the mature trees in the City's 15 wards will be pruned. 

Our trees are a critical part of the City's infrastructure. They provide essential benefits, including lowering temperatures, reducing air pollution and intercepting particulate matter, intercepting rain, absorbing stormwater, and reducing noise and light pollution. Block pruning increases productivity through increased economies of scale, efficient planning, and simplified work tracking.

The Inflation Reduction Act and the USDA Forest Service, Urban and Community Forestry Program, in partnership with American Forests' Catalyst Fund, provide funding for the City of Albany's Block Pruning Program.  

Who Will Perform the Work?
Block Pruning will be performed by private contractors supervised by the Assistant City Arborist & City Arborist.  

When Will Block Pruning Take Place?  
Block pruning operations will only occur during the dormant season.  For the purposes of this Program, the dormant season runs from November 1 through April 1. Tree pruning operations will be performed Monday through Friday between 7:00 AM and 3:00 PM.  

Where Will Block Pruning Take Place?   
Roughly 25% of the mature trees in each ward will be pruned in each of the next four years.  Please consult the GIS-based map below for specific trees/locations to be pruned each year.

Which Trees Will Be Pruned? 
Mature trees with a diameter at breast height (DBH) in excess of 12.”   Trees smaller than this will be pruned via routine training and/or by DGS’s Forestry Crew.

How Will I Know When The Trees On My Street Will Be Pruned?  
The Department of General Services will send out a notification at the beginning of each dormant season notifying residents that the mature trees on their street are scheduled to be pruned this season.  This includes an interactive, GIS-based color-coded map, found below, that details the neighborhoods where block pruning will be performed in each of the next four dormant seasons.  DGS Forestry will also continue to respond to resident requests and maintain trees in the City’s Streets and Parks.

If you have questions about this program, you can click here to direct them to the City of Albany Department of General Services, Division of Forestry.