Bakersfield council receives Tree Advisory Group update as staff promises targeted plantings and inventory

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 trees were removed in the prior year; Sllayton said removed trees were documented and inspected by a city arborist and by a contracted TRAQ (Tree Risk Assessment Qualified) arborist, and that removal decisions are photographed and recorded. Parks staff reported a 53% increase in trees planted between 2022 and 2025 and said roughly 3,500 trees had been planted in that timespan; for spring 2026 the council had already allocated $150,000 for plantings and staff said approximately 600 trees are scheduled to be planted in identified underserved areas.

TAG also recommended and the city posted an initial approved recommended tree list (street, park and Kern River Parkway categories) meant to guide species selection and avoid future monocultures. Staff said the tree list is a living document and that project teams will use it to choose "right tree, right place" species and sizes (15‑gallon and 24‑inch box sizes, among others).

On inventories, TAG recommended a comprehensive, data‑driven tree inventory that includes species, diameter, height, condition, and risk assessment so the city can schedule maintenance, track canopy, and identify planting priorities. Staff said a contractor was selected to perform the inventory and deliver a dataset that would integrate into the city's GIS if the council approves that contract. Staff and TAG repeatedly emphasized that a full inventory will support targeted maintenance, reduce liability by identifying hazardous trees, and help ensure tree plantings reach neighborhoods with the highest heat and pollution burdens.

During public comment, speakers including community advocates and members of environmental groups urged a stronger focus on tree canopy in East Bakersfield and in neighborhoods near Highway 99, noted the human‑health benefits of trees in mitigating ozone and particulate pollution, and pressed for stable, sustained funding rather than one‑time grants. Speakers also urged that newly planted trees be placed where they will survive and have adequate irrigation and long‑term care.

Council members praised the TAG partnership and asked staff to explore two operational items: (1) software to make the inventory a living product so removals and plantings are tracked in real time; and (2) options to use academic partners and trained volunteers where appropriate while preserving the level of technical detail the city seeks for risk assessment. Staff said the inventory contract would supply software that can be integrated into the city's GIS, and that some inventory tasks might be augmented by trained volunteers or university partners after further discussion.

Council received and filed the TAG update (motion approved; the meeting record notes Council Member Weir and Council Member Basher were absent for that vote). Staff said they will return with procurement and implementation details and that TAG will continue work on heritage‑tree framework, public education, and development standards for healthy trees.