Tim Crothers, Plant Health Care Manager of West Coast Arborists, presented a workshop to exchange ideas on improving the city’s urban forest and important techniques for tree care. Phil Kisor, the city’s landscape supervisor, and Meg McWade, the public works director, were present.

Crothers gave insight on how to properly plant trees, maintain young and mature trees, pruning strategies, responsibilities of the city and homeowners.

Pruning is critical to tree care and the development of young trees; as Crothers explains, it establishes a good structure.

Crothers dived into the importance of maintenance, drought problems, the benefits of trees to the public and how to go about planting trees in vacant sites in residential neighborhoods.

For example, the lack of tree maintenance in a public area could cause potential issues by blocking views or growing too close to power lines.

The presentation also talked about the City of Fullerton’s current tree canopy and the future of the city’s canopy.

As a part of the workshop, participants were given an optional survey as part of a research study by Maria Antonia Scopu, a graduate student at CSUF Department of Geography and the Environment.

They conducted the survey to gather community input regarding the City of Fullerton’s current canopy to determine where the city will plant more trees due to survey responses.

The participants were well engaged and talked through whether the City of Fullerton would be diversifying its tree varieties. In which Phil Kisor did indeed confirm the diversity of trees is well in Fullerton’s planner.

Phil Kisor talked about how these workshops communicate and reach out to the community and motivate the public to participate. These workshops have only just recently started in Fullerton.

The City of Fullerton has no plans on reaching out to surrounding cities to plan tree care procedures.

Roger Cardenas, the city’s Tree Services inspector, was not present due to an illness.

Upcoming workshops to look out for include Fullerton’s Unique Urban Forest on Oct. 26, 2021, at the Community Center, 340 W. Commonwealth Avenue, at 6 p.m.

Also, Volunteer and Career Pathways in Urban Forestry on Nov. 17, 2021, in the Basque Yard, 1580 W. Commonwealth Ave at 6 p.m.