ANSI A300 standards represent the industry consensus on performing tree care operations. The standards can be used to prepare tree care contract specifications.

• ANSI A300 Pruning Standard-Part 1, 2017
• ANSI A300 Soil Management-Part 2, 2011
• ANSI A300 Support Systems Standard-Part 3, 2013
• ANSI A300 Construction Management Standard-Part 5, 2012
• ANSI A300 Transplanting Standard-Part 6, 2012
• ANSI A300 Integrated Vegetation Management Standard-Part 7, 2012
• ANSI A300 Root Management Standard-Part 8, 2013
• ANSI A300 Tree Risk Assessment Standard a Tree Failure-Part 9, 2017
• ANSI A300 Integrated Pest Management-Part 10, 2016
  
  Includes guidelines for implementing IPM programs, including standards for Integrated Pest Management, IPM Practices, tools and equipment, and definition.

• ANSI Z133 Safety Standard, 2017
  
  Reviews general safety, electrical hazards, use of vehicles and mobile equipment, portable power hand tools, hand tools and ladders, climbing, and work procedures.

Integrated Pest Management, Second Edition, P. Eric Wiseman, and Michael J. Raupp, 2016.

Provides a comprehensive overview of the basic definitions, concepts, and practices that pertain to landscape Integrated Pest Management (IPM). The publication provides specific information for designing, planning, and implementing an IPM program as part of a comprehensive Plant Health Care (PHC) management system, including topics such as:

IPM Concepts and Definitions

• Action Thresholds
• Monitoring Tools and Techniques
• Preventive Tactics
• Control Tactics
• Documentation and Recordkeeping

Integrated Vegetation Management, Second Edition, Randall H. Miller, 2014.

A guide to the selection and application of methods and techniques for vegetation control for electric rights-of-way projects and gas pipeline rights-of-way. Topics include safety, site evaluations, action thresholds, evaluation, and selection of control methods, implementing control methods, monitoring treatment and quality assurance, environmental protection, tree pruning and removal, and a glossary of terms.

Managing Trees During Construction, Second Edition, Kelby Fite and E. Thomas Smiley, 2016.

Describes tree conservation and preservation practices that help to protect selected trees throughout the construction planning and development process so that they will continue to provide benefits for decades after site disturbance, including planning phase, design phase, pre-construction phase, construction phase, and post-construction phase.

Reducing Infrastructure Damage by Tree Roots, Larry Costello and Katherine S. Jones, 2003.

Provides a comprehensive reference on tree and infrastructure conflicts, containing up-to-date descriptions and assessments of methods used to reduce damage. The information guides tree managers, planners, and engineers to create effective management plans.

Root Management, Larry Costello, Gary Watson, and Tom Smiley, 2017.

Recommended practices for inspecting, pruning, and directing the roots of trees in urban environments to promote their longevity, while minimizing infrastructure conflicts. Special companion publication to the ANSI A300 Part 8: Tree, Shrub, and Other Woody Plant Management–Standard Practices (Root Management).

Tree Planting, Second Edition, Gary Watson, 2014.

Provides processes for tree planting, including site and species selection, planting practices, post planting pruning, and early tree care. Other topics include time of planting, nursery stock: types, selection, and handling, preparing the planting hole, planting practices, root loss and new root growth, redevelopment of root structure, pruning, palms, after planting, final inspection, and a glossary of terms.

Tree Pruning, Third Edition, Sharon J. Lilly, Edward F. Gilman, and E. Thomas Smiley, 2019.

Companion publication to the ANSI A300 Part 1: Tree, Shrub, and Other Wood Plant Maintenance Standard Practices, Pruning. Provides an interpretation of the ANSI 300 Pruning standards that is useful in the specification and practical application of pruning. Includes descriptions and background information on pruning systems, pruning objectives, a tree’s response to pruning, types of cuts, work practices, and others. 

Tree Inventories, Second Edition, Jerry Bond, 2013.

Provides considerations for managing large numbers of trees considered as individuals rather than groups and serves as a guide for making informed decisions that align inventory goals with needs and resources, including inventory goals and objectives, benefits and costs, types, work specifications, and maintaining inventory quality.

Tree Risk Assessment, Second Edition, E. Thomas Smiley, Nelda Matheny, and Sharon Lilly, 2017.

A guide for assessing tree risk as accurately and consistently as possible, to evaluate that risk, and to recommend measures that achieve an acceptable level of risk, including topics: risk assessment basics, levels and scope of tree risk assessment, assessing targets, sites, and trees, tree risk categorization, risk mitigation: preventive and remedial actions, risk reporting, tree related conflicts that can be a source of risk, loads on trees, structural defects and conditions that affect likelihood of failure, response growth, description of selected types of advanced tree risk assessments.

Tree Shrub Fertilization, Third Edition, E. Thomas Smiley, Sharon Lilly, and Patrick Kelsey, 2013.

Aides in the selection and application of fertilizers for trees and shrubs, including essential elements, determining goals and objectives of fertilization, soil testing and plan analysis, fertilizer selection, timing, application, application area, rates, storage and handling of fertilizer, sample fertilizer contract for commercial/ municipal clients.

Soil Management, Bryant Scharenbroch, E. Thomas Smiley, and Wes Kocher, 2014.

Focuses on the protection and restoration of soil quality that support trees and shrubs in the urban environment, including goals of soil management, assessment, sampling, and analysis, modifications and amendments, tillage, conservation, and a glossary of terms.

Utility Pruning of Trees, Geoffrey P. Kempter, 2004.

Describes the current best practices in utility tree pruning based on scientific research and proven methodology for the safe and reliable delivery of utility services, while preventing unnecessary injury to trees. An overview of safety, tools, and equipment, pruning methods and practices, and emergency restoration are included.

The tree work plans provide a roadmap by designating annual work to efficiently prioritize the maintenance needs of all of city trees. The work plans do not account for changes in priority maintenance needs. Staff will continue to schedule work based on the highest known maintenance priority. The highest level of priority maintenance should occur first. In other words, if a tree is recommended for a routine prune during the initial inventory collection, but a service request and/or further inspection indicates a heightened maintenance priority, lesser priorities should be organized accordingly. 

Work plans include consideration for trees by geographic region (City Tree Maintenance | City of Davis, CA). Years 1 through 7 correspond to PR-1 through PR-7 regions on the Tree Pruning Routine Map. In all areas, any identified priority maintenance will be followed by routine maintenance, and the establishment of an ongoing 7-year maintenance cycle. 

The example work plan below is based on the maintenance needs of the 2018 tree inventory of 30,692 City trees. Following the work plan, the Urban Forestry Division will provide routine maintenance to all trees during a 7-year period. Routine maintenance includes trees recommended for large and small routine prune and trees with no maintenance recommendation. The type of prune can provide Urban Forestry Manager with a general idea of the equipment needed to complete the task (small routine prunes should not require climbing equipment or aerial lifts). Newly planted trees are scheduled to receive one year of training pruning and three years of young tree maintenance which entails regular watering, mulching, stake adjustment and removal. Selective pruning or “training pruning” is a type of pruning that removes specific small branches to direct branch growth to avoid future structural problems. The cost of pruning, planting, young tree maintenance, and training pruning are priced by the individual tree and the cost per tree increases as the size increases. In contrast, tree removal and stump grinding are priced as a scale depending on the inch DBH. 

In total, there were 484 identified potential tree planting locations within the City in 2018. These planting sites are included in the work plans for each area. Plantings are also scheduled after removal and stump grinding. There are an estimated 225 removals each year.

 Year 1 Work Plan

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• Routine Maintenance: 3,854
• Removal and Stump Grind: 225 (estimate)
• Training Pruning: 0
• Young Tree Maintenance: 270 (year 1 tree plantings)
• Planting: 270

Year 2 Work Plan

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• Routine Maintenance: 3,350
• Removal and Stump Grind: 225 (estimate)
• Training Pruning: 0
• Young Tree Maintenance: 645 (year 1 and 2 tree plantings)
• Planting: 375

Year 3 Work Plan

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• Routine Maintenance: 3,867
• Removal and Stump Grind: 225 (estimate)
• Training Pruning: 270 (year 1 tree plantings)
• Young Tree Maintenance: 958 (year 1, 2, and 3 tree plantings)
• Planting: 313

Year 3 Routine Maintenance and Planting Total Cost: $1,062,405 

Year 4 Work Plan

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• Routine Maintenance: 5,764
• Removal and Stump Grind: 225 (estimate)
• Training Pruning: 375 
• Young Tree Maintenance: 937 (year 2, 3, and 4 tree plantings) 
• Planting: 249

Year 4 Routine Maintenance and Planting Total Cost: $1,228,335

Year 5 Work Plan

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• Routine Maintenance: 6,318
• Removal and Stump Grind: 225 (estimate)
• Training Pruning: 313 (year 3 tree plantings)
• Young Tree Maintenance: 853 (year 3, 4, and 5 tree plantings)
• Planting: 291

Year 5 Routine Maintenance and Planting Total Cost: $1,318,155

 Year 6 Work Plan

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• Routine Maintenance: 2,688
• Removal and Stump Grind: 225 (estimate)
• Training Pruning: 249 (year 4 tree plantings)
• Young Tree Maintenance: 807 (year 4, 5, and 6 tree plantings)
• Planting: 267 (estimate)

Year 6 Routine Maintenance and Planting Total Cost: $704,335

Year 7 Work Plan

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• Routine Maintenance: 4,332
• Removal and Stump Grind: 225 (estimate)
• Training Pruning: 291 (year 5 tree plantings)
• Young Tree Maintenance: 826 (year 5, 6, and 7 tree plantings)
• Planting: 268

Year 7 Routine Maintenance and Planting Total Cost: $1,040,550

Total Cost 7-Year Work Plan Routine Maintenance and Planting: $6,971,375

This example work plan may be an over or under estimation of the actual costs of maintenance. Some reasons the costs may fluctuate are as follows:

• Estimates are based on 2018 data and do not include contractor staffing time
• Costs associated with maintenance may increase, including those associated with staffing time
• Certain events may cause increased maintenance needs or deviations from the estimated costs for emergency response (e.g., storm event, pest or pathogen epidemic) 
• Annual increases in the cost of maintenance were not included
• Planting or maintenance goals may change

Several areas of Davis may require additional maintenance, separate from the routine work plan. For example, this may occur as clearance and safety pruning along bus routes and areas of town that have higher pedestrian traffic such as parks and greenbelts. Trees in these areas are candidates for more regular inspection and may involve heavier pruning than typical block pruning. In addition, certain species may require more maintenance based on species characteristics or age (e.g., species of ash and overly mature trees).