What type of trees may be planted on the Public Right-of-Ways?  What Trees are specifically prohibited?

How can a tree be replaced in the Public Right-of-Ways?

Whose responsibility is it to maintain the trees in the Public Right-of-Ways?  

What restrictions are there on Shrubs planted in the Right-of-Way? 

A Permit Is Required to Plant on Public Rights of Way

Pruning Specifications for Trees

When and How Often Will the City Prune Street Trees? - Tree Pruning Criteria:
The City of Canon City will prune street trees on a rotating basis. The City Forester will determine the need on a street-by-street basis. The City will prune street trees in a manner consistent with the tree pruning specifications contained herein. All street trees will be pruned once every (10) years or as necessary depending upon manpower and funding.

Persons desiring street trees to be pruned on a shorter cycle shall be given a permit to prune street trees to city specifications at their own expense. Only licensed tree services will be given the permit to prune city street trees.

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When will the City Remove Street Trees? -
Tree Removal Criteria - Diseased and Hazardous Trees -
Trees or shrubs located on public rights of way or any other public place may be subject to removal for the following reasons:

· Dead, dying, diseased*, rot, structural weakness
· Right of way expansion, utility installation, permitted construction
· Unsafe pedestrian or vehicular vision obstruction

* Dutch Elm and Other Communicable Disease Control - Dutch Elm Disease control is covered by Municipal Code 5.52.090. Property owners that have been notified that a diseased tree is located on their property are required to remove and dispose of diseased wood at a landfill, transfer station or area designated by the City within 20 days of notification. No person is allowed to keep or store elm wood either standing, dead, diseased, or healthy-cut wood for any reason with the bark attached. The City of Canon City will periodically conduct insect and disease surveys to determine location of diseased elm trees and stockpiles of elm firewood.

Hazardous Trees - The City Forester shall determine the severity of the physical conditions of any street tree or shrub and may permit the removal of right of way trees based on the above factors. All construction removals shall be at the requesting property owner or contractor expense.

Resident Requests For Tree Removal - The requesting property owner or contractor shall be responsible for replacing trees removed from the public right of way with an approved street tree, if spacing is available. Sidewalks, curbs or other improvements, which are severely uplifted by street tree root growth, may be replaced at property owner expense. Sidewalks should be replaced in such a manner to preserve structurally sound tree growth. Sidewalk curve cuts or realignment shall be employed to preserve high value street trees.

Destruction of Street Trees - Street trees, which are destroyed by others through negligence, accident or willful intent, will be assessed at partial or full value to the responsible person causing the destruction.

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The City of Cañon City will plant or provide an approved street replacement at its option for trees the City removed. Residents may order a street tree by calling the Forestry Division at 719-269-9028, 7 AM to 3:30 PM Monday through Friday. Please complete a "STREET TREE ORDER FORM" and submit to the Forestry Division. The City of Cañon City reserves the right to reject planting orders of adjacent property owners who do not demonstrate proper watering to sustain good tree growth. Criteria for rejection of planting orders are as follows:

(1) No visible watering schedule of parking area to be planted
(2) Rock Landscaping with an impervious water membrane
(3) Utility restrictions
(4) Vacant residence or property
(5) High water table, poor soils or chemical damage to area
(6) Spacing requirements not possible

The City of Canon City Forestry Division shall maintain a list of small and large trees, bushes and shrubs approved for planting on public rights of way. No species other than those listed may be planted on public rights of way or parks without approval of the Forestry Division. Trees specifically prohibited from planting on public rights of way are as follows: any of the Poplar species (Popules sp.), any of the Willow species (Salix sp.), Box Elder Tree (Acer negundo), Siberian Elm (Ulmus Pumila). Trees specifically prohibited from planting or import anywhere in Canon City are as follows: any cotton-bearing Cottonwood Tree (Populus sp.), any female Box Elder Tree (Acer negundo), or any species of Elm (Ulmus). See attached list of APPROVED STREET TREES and PROHIBITED TREES on public right of ways.

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What type of trees may be planted on the Public Right-of-Ways?  What Trees are specifically prohibited?

Please call 269-9028 to order a replacement or new tree. Between October 15 and April 15 and after you have paid a co-payment of $15 or $30 per tree, city crews will plant a tree on the public right of way. The list above is not intended to be all-inclusive. You may plant trees at your own expense, but they must be approved tree cultivars. You may not plant trees that are specifically prohibited in the list below. No tree may be planted closer than 30' to any corner. You must obtain a permit to plant any trees or shrubs on the right-of-way by calling the Forestry Division at 269-9028.

TREES SPECIFICALLY PROHIBITED FROM PLANTING ON PUBLIC RIGHT-OF-WAY

· SILVER MAPLE COTTONWOOD ASPEN
· TREE OF HEAVEN BOX ELDER SHRUBS OVER 24"
· SUMAC SIBERIAN ELM
· WILLOW RUSSIAN

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How can a tree be replaced in the Public Right-of-Ways?

Please call 269-9028 to order a replacement or new tree. Between October 15 and April 15 and after you have paid a co-payment of $15 or $30 per tree, city crews will plant a tree on the public right of way.  You may plant trees at your own expense, but they must be approved tree cultivars. You may not plant trees that are specifically prohibited. No tree may be planted closer than 30' to any corner. You must obtain a permit to plant any trees or shrubs on the right-of-way by calling the Forestry Division at 269-9028.

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The City of Cañon City requires adjacent property owners to mow and maintain the ground surface or any landscaping on the public right of way fronting or siding their properties. The City will prune, remove and plant trees along rights of ways.

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What restrictions are there on Shrubs planted in the Right-of-Way? 
The City encourages residents to landscape the adjacent public right-of-way by properly selecting and installing shrubs that do not exceed 24" in height when fully grown. The adjacent resident or property owner shall keep any shrub that grows over 24" pruned down below the maximum height. All planting on the public right-of-way requires a permit by calling the Forestry Division at 269-9028. Shrubs that are allowed to grow over 24" risk being removed by the City of Canon City.

All trees and shrubs planted on public rights of way shall be placed at locations as directed by the City Forester. No tree shall be planted closer than 30 feet to an intersection of curb or curb lines nor any closer than 10 feet to any fireplug. Only trees within 25 feet or lower mature growth height shall be allowed to be planted under any utility wires. No tree shall be planted any closer than 10 feet to any improvement or structure other than curbs, sidewalks or paved roads or driveways.

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A Permit Is Required to Plant on Public Rights of Way

No person shall plant, move or install any tree or shrub in any street, avenue, public highway, public parks or public place of the City without first applying for and obtaining a permit. Municipal Code 5.52.030.

No person shall apply pesticides, insecticides, fungicides, or herbicides for hire in the City of Cañon City without proper liability insurance and a license obtained from the State of Colorado Department of Agriculture, Division of Plant Industry. Municipal Code 5.52.060 (C.R.S. Article 10 Title 35 Colorado Pesticide Applicators Act.)

No person shall apply any pesticide to right of way trees unless a permit is obtained fro the City Forestry Division. Herbicides shall be applied to noxious weeds on public rights of way in a manner not injurious to the desirable plant materials. Chemical damage to desirable plants, shrubs or trees shall be charged to the injury-causing party at partial or full value of the tree(s).

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Tree Pruning Specifications on Public Rights of Way and Recommended on Private Property Tree Service Work

Definition of Tree Pruning (as defined by the City of Canon City):
Tree pruning shall consist of the removal of dead, dying, diseased, interfering, objectionable and weak branches on the main trunks as well as those leaders within the leaf area. In addition, tree-pruning specifications include the following requirements:

• The removal of all dead and dying branches, except for an occasional branch up to (1") inch in diameter in the main leaf area or crown, where it is not practical to remove;
• Removal of all broken branches or loose branches lodged in the tree
• Removal of all dead and live stubs, broken or poorly cut limbs;
• Removal of live branches which interfere with the trees structural strength and healthy development, which would include
  the following:

· Limbs, which rub or abrade a more important branch;

· Limbs with weak structure, which are not important to the structural framework of the tree, such as rotten limbs (contact City Forester to make determination about preservation of wildlife habitat branches);

· Limbs with twigs and foliage obstructing the development of more important branches;

· Limbs or main leaders forming multiple leaders in a single leader type tree;

· Heavy foliage branches near the end of a limb, which will produce more weight or offer more resistance to wind, snow or other climatic factors than the limbs likely to support;

· Remove undesirable sprout or sucker growth from the ground to a height of 20 feet;

· Selective removal to one or more developing leaders where multiple sucker or branch regrowth exists near the end of broken or stubbed limbs;

· Removal or pruning limbs or foliage off or away from all traffic signs or warning lights;

· Remove all limbs and foliage to a height of 14 feet above public right of way vehicular road surfaces or sidewalks and which rub, abrade or block the vision of vehicles or pedestrian.

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Rules and Regulations pertaining to Business Providing Tree Services

TESTING AND INSURANCE REQUIRED
The Standards and specifications contained herein apply to all persons engaged in or soliciting in the business of tree service related work for hire on public or private property. Property owners or occupants of properties that wish to have worked performed on street trees, outside the normal scope of services provided by the City, are required hire at their expense a licensed contractor approved by the City to perform any tree service work on the public right of way. Any person or tree service that desires to perform work for hire on public or private property shall successfully complete a written and oral test administered by the City, provide a certificate of liability and property damage insurance in the amount of $300,000 and then obtain a license for $10 from the City Clerk to operate a tree service (Municipal Code Chapter 5.52.030). Contractors that perform work for the City of Canon City under contract shall be required to have a minimum of $600,000 combined single limit liability, property damage and vehicle insurance.

PERMIT REQUIRED OF TREE SERVICES
The Director of Parks has designated the City Forester to have the authority to trim, prune, spray, remove, plant and protect vegetation upon any public right of way. Any person or business is required to obtain a permit to prune or remove any tree or shrub on the public right of way. (Municipal Code Chapter 5.52.010) Please call the City Forester to determine ownership of street trees and obtain a permit. All street, park or other publicly-owned trees should be maintained according to specifications. Street trees will be pruned, planted, sprayed or removed as the City Forester determines need. Requests for service beyond normal pruning, planting, spraying cycles or removals for construction of non-safety reasons shall be at owner or contractor expense.

Licensed tree services are required to report known stockpiles of elm wood to the City Forester.

Standards of Workmanship Required of Tree Services

Requirements of all Persons Performing Tree Pruning or Removals on Public Rights or Way:

Tree Pruning Specifications on Public Rights of Way and Recommended on Private Property Tree Service Work