I’m a big fan of trees.
With pride and a desire to make my property look appealing, I’ve planted several fruit trees – orange, lemon and pomegranate – in my yard. In fact, I had one of my best lemon tree harvests ever this year.
That brings me to the fact that Fountain Valley happens to be a “Tree City USA.”
Tree City USA is a national program, sponsored by the National Arbor Foundation in cooperation with the National Association of State Foresters and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service. The program recognizes communities for environmental improvement and higher levels of tree care.
Trees, indeed, are important to the city. The city’s tree program provides several services through the city’s Landscape Division as well through private contractors. These services include scheduled and unscheduled trimming, root pruning, removal, replacement, reforestation, inspection, pest control, and emergency response within the public right-of-way.
The city’s tree foreman is a certified arborist, and the city’s tree trimmers are certified in the work they do. Reforestation and neighborhood beautification efforts in the city are ongoing.
Fountain Valley residents can arrange to have a parkway tree planted in front of their homes. For $35, the city will purchase, deliver and plant the tree.
But be aware that the tree is now the property of you, the homeowner. You are responsible for the tree’s watering and maintenance. It’s up to you to remove weeds and debris from around the tree.
While the city doesn’t own the parkway land, it does trim the parkway trees for the purpose of maintaining the appropriate clearance for pedestrians and vehicular traffic.
Who is the responsible party if a parkway tree happens to fall and damages a parked car? Answer: The homeowner.
City officials recommend residents go to the city website, fountainvalley.org, and check out the city’s Parkway Tree Policy, which is full of facts about trees in the city.
For instance, the policy states that one of the conditions of approval for the development and construction of residential tracts in the city is a requirement to plant a minimum of one parkway tree in front of every residential address.
By the way, there is an “authorized tree list” that tells you which kinds of trees are acceptable for city parkways.
Residents interested in having a parkway tree can stop by the Public Works counter at City Hall, 10200 Slater Ave., or call 714-593-4433 for more information.