Tree Stewardship

Tree Maintenance

The UCSC Tree crew of four has the combined experience of 50 years, and among them a certified arborist and 3 certified tree workers. They are knowledgeable, skilled, and dedicated individuals who perform high quality tree care.

The crew performs regular maintenance throughout the campus consisting of path clearance, light clearance, building clearance, road clearance, sign clearance, and visual clearance. Regular maintenance also includes structural training of young trees, planting of new trees, crown cleaning of existing trees where needed, and hazard identification for existing trees.

The tree crew responds to emergency cases where trees or tree limbs have fallen and are blocking access or are otherwise hazardous.

The tree crew is skilled, knowledgeable and capable of a wide range of tree maintenance needs, from young tree planting and care to large tree removals. The UCSC Tree Crew are all climbers, working at heights up to and over 100 feet as needed. Climbing spurs are not used except in the case of removals or climbing redwoods, where branches are considered too unreliable for climbing line support. The Tree Crew also has a Hi-Ranger bucket truck that will allow access in trees up to approximately 60 feet. Tree maintenance or removals requiring a crane are performed with or contracted to a capable tree service.

All tree trimmings and wood is chipped and reused as mulch in the UCSC landscape to reduce water evaporation, weed growth, and soil erosion. Chips and wood from trees suspected of having Sudden Oak Death are spread at the site of the subject tree.