UPDATE: Sacramento, the “City of Trees,” is grappling with a significant backlog in tree maintenance requests, which could take crews up to two years to address, except in emergencies. As the city plans to plant more trees to enhance its urban forest, concerned residents are sounding alarms about safety and service delays.
Residents like Brett Davison from East Sacramento report frustration over the slow response times. “I have neighbors where it’s gotten under their roof tiles,” he stated, highlighting growing safety concerns tied to unmaintained city trees. This issue has caught the attention of insurance companies, complicating matters further during California’s ongoing insurance crisis. “The insurance company had said, ‘You can’t. You’ve got to trim it back,'” Davison added.
New reports confirm that non-emergency requests for tree maintenance in Sacramento are currently facing a backlog of at least one year. KCRA 3 Investigates verified that the city’s Urban Forestry Division is overwhelmed, with more than 500 service requests coming in each month. Despite emergency calls being addressed within one hour, residents are left in limbo for other concerns.
City officials attribute the backlog to staffing shortages and unprecedented damage from severe storms in 2023. Gabby Miller, a Media & Communications Specialist for Sacramento, indicated that while significant efforts are being made to tackle the backlog, the situation remains critical. “Severe storms in 2023 caused unprecedented damage to trees throughout Sacramento,” she explained in an email statement.
The city council has recently voted to double the tree canopy by 2045, aiming to enhance both public and private property tree coverage. However, Councilmember Pluckebaum expressed concern over funding this ambitious plan, estimating an additional $12-13 million annually is needed for full implementation. “Our only answer is to figure out how to either reduce costs and/or raise revenue,” he stated.
The ongoing maintenance challenges raise questions about the city’s ability to care for its existing trees, let alone manage the proposed increase. “I’m all about more trees. Bring it on. I love the trees, but you better have enough maintenance crews to handle what you’ve got going on first,” Davison cautioned.
As Sacramento moves forward with its tree planting initiatives, the pressing issue of backlog and safety continues to loom large. With residents left waiting for resolutions, the need for swift action has never been more urgent.
For ongoing updates and to report tree concerns, residents can contact the 311 Customer Service Center by calling 311 or emailing [email protected].
