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Bakersfield council receives Tree Advisory Group update as staff promises targeted plantings and inventory
Summary
Council heard a yearlong Tree Advisory Group (TAG) report outlining new trimming rules, a recommended tree list, tree removals and increased plantings; staff said a tree inventory contract is pending and the city funded $150,000 for spring plantings and plans to plant about 600 trees in 2026.
City council members on March 11 received a detailed update from the city's Tree Advisory Group and Parks staff on efforts to slow tree removals, increase plantings and build a living inventory of the urban forest.
The city presentation traced TAG's work over the last year, including pausing the prior tree‑trimming contract in March 2025 to improve contractor oversight and reaffirm daily arborist supervision of contractor crews. Ray Sllayton, the city's certified arborist, said the city and TAG revised the trimming cycle to reduce work performed during state‑recommended nesting season (typically Feb. 1–Aug. 31) and that proactive trimming during nesting season dropped from about 9,474 trees in 2024 to 173 palm trees in 2025 (the latter performed when the new contractor began in August). Sllayton said hazardous or dead trees must still be addressed year‑round for public safety.
TAG members and staff also walked council through tree removals and plantings. Staff confirmed 704…
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