Tree Care

Our urban forest includes all San Antonio’s trees located in parks, along streets, in gardens, greenways and more! The City of San Antonio loves trees and the wide array of benefits they offer the community.

Our mission is to foster a deeper connection between the community and the trees that line our streets, parks, and neighborhoods. Our passion is rooted in the belief that a healthy urban forest leads to a healthier, happier, and more sustainable city.

Benefits of Trees

Trees:

• help manage temperature and reduce the heat island effect.
• help with stormwater.
• create beautiful community recreational space.
• increase property values.
• help improve mental and physical health.
• offer traffic calming and speed reduction.

To keep trees safe and healthy, we have to take care of them through routine tree maintenance.

Routine Tree Maintenance 

Routine tree maintenance depends on the safety and health of each tree. San Antonio’s tree maintenance program is managed by a team of arborists and contractors. The program includes:

• maintaining crown health.
• achieving clearance specifications over roads, sidewalks, lamp posts, signs, and crosswalks.

Trees are assessed individually and are only removed if absolutely necessary.

Removal of Trees & Tree Limbs

Dead, dying, damaged or diseased tree limbs are removed from healthy trees when they pose a risk to safety, health, or infrastructure. 

Trees are only removed if they are dead, dying, damaged or diseased. Distressed trees that are still alive are monitored by the Urban Forestry team. A distressed tree will only be removed if deemed unlikely to fully recover or if it poses a risk to the park or its visitors. Removal is determined by:

• Overall tree health: structural defects, remaining canopy, vigor, presence of fungi, pests and the tree’s invasive status.
• Invasive or harmful species.
• Encroaching on infrastructure or pathways - including pathways, signage, lighting and other assets. Trimming for clearance is kept to a minimum to reduce impact to the tree and environment.

Disposal

If the tree or limbs are easily chipped, crews will chip them and allow the mulch to decompose. This provides nutrients to support the growth of future trees and plants.

Trees and limbs contaminated by pests, diseases, are invasive or otherwise unsuitable to chip will be hauled off and disposed of responsibly.

Replanting & Replacement

The City of San Antonio improves and adds to our urban tree canopy by planting and adopting out approximately 12,000 trees per year.