Ann Arbor hiring private contractors for $368K to catch up on tree maintenance

The city of Ann Arbor is hiring two private contractors as it looks to catch up on tree removal, tree pruning and stump removal needed along city streets.

The City Council voted unanimously Monday night to approve a $192,160 contract with Guardian Tree Experts and a $175,875 contract with the Asplundh Tree Expert Co.

The tree removal activities under both contracts focus on the highest-priority trees, those listed as priority 1 or 2 removals in the city's tree inventory.

Tree pruning activities will focus on removing large, dead, broken, hanging or diseased limbs for trees listed as priority 1 for pruning in the tree inventory.

The city has a backlog of 815 priority 1 and 2 tree removals. It's expected Guardian will tackle 253 and Asplundh will tackle 255, leaving a backlog of 307.

The city also has a backlog of 2,205 stumps that need to be removed. Guardian will tackle 79 and Asplundh will tackle 255, leaving a backlog of 1,871.

The work is to be completed by May 31.

In addition to helping to address the tree maintenance backlog, the work to be completed moves the city toward implementing recommendation No. 1 of the city's new Urban and Community Forest Management Plan, which is to implement a proactive routine maintenance program, said Kerry Gray, head of the forestry department.

Gray's memo to council notes the work also furthers the "healthy ecosystem" and "sustainable systems" goals of the city's Sustainability Framework.

The city has about 6,900 trees in mowed areas in parks and more than 41,000 trees along city streets that it's responsible for maintaining, and it's putting an extra $1 million into doing that this year after falling behind on tree maintenance.

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Ann Arbor hiring private contractors for $368K to catch up on tree maintenance