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Bakersfield officials outline new tree‑management steps after advisory group review
Summary
City staff and a newly formed Tree Advisory Group described steps to reduce harmful trimming during nesting season, to expand planting in underserved neighborhoods, and to develop a comprehensive tree inventory; residents pressed for transparency, sustained funding and an enforceable tree‑replacement practice.
Mayor Karen K. Go and city staff on March 11 received an update from the Tree Advisory Group on a year of work to change how Bakersfield trims, removes and plants urban trees.
The advisory group’s priorities include a five‑to‑six‑year trimming cycle (with year‑round safety trimming as needed), a recommended city tree list posted in December 2025, more arborist oversight of removals, and a planned inventory modeled on Fresno’s program. Ray Sllayton, the city arborist, told the council the city paused its previous contractor in March 2025 and restructured oversight; “we reduced [trimming during the nesting season] from 9,474 trees in 2024 to 173 palms in 2025,” he said, describing how the city now documents removals and requires TRACK‑qualified reviews for trees slated for removal.
Why it matters: Council and residents said the work affects air quality, heat islands and public safety in neighborhoods that have among the…
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