City of Windsor’s Proactive Tree Maintenance Program Makes Progress

The City of Windsor is continuing its commitment to maintaining a healthy and safe urban forest through its proactive tree maintenance program. With approximately 70,000 street trees across the city, the Forestry and Natural Areas team, led by City Forester and Manager Dr. Yemi Adeyeye, is working diligently to ensure the long-term health and safety of Windsor’s tree canopy.

“To keep trees in good condition and reduce the risk of falling limbs, we’ve created a preventative tree maintenance program,” says Dr. Adeyeye. “Under this program, we have a seven-year trimming cycle that means we’re proactively trimming back about 10 thousand trees each year.”

In addition to City crews, four certified tree care contractors are engaged to carry out this work, all adhering to rigorous arboriculture (tree care) standards. These standards include removal of deadwoods, crossing limbs (up to four inches in diameter, which may be exceeded when necessary to improve tree shape or meet clearance requirements) and the promotion of healthy branching structure in each tree’s canopy. Specific clearance guidelines are also followed over roads, sidewalks, driveways and homes, as follows:

• Clearance over curb: 450 centimetres (14 to 15 feet)
• Clearance over lawn: 240 centimetres (8 feet)
• Clearance over roofs: 300 centimetres (10 feet)
• Clearance over driveway: 300 centimetres (10 feet)
• Clearance around traffic signs: 60 centimetres (2 feet)
• Clearance around streetlight cables: 60 centimetres (2 feet)
• Clearance of streetlights for 45-degree-angle light pattern

In addition to the preventative seven-year tree trimming program, which started in 2021, the City of Windsor continues to respond to emergency and urgent requests for tree services as required.

Residents with questions regarding the tree maintenance program or other forestry-related matters are encouraged to contact 311 or contact the forestry department at Forestry@citywindsor.ca by email.