Borough Trees
The Department of Public Works plants, maintains, and removes trees in the grass plot areas along municipal streets and in borough parks. They also provide full landscape maintenance for community properties and resources for volunteers and community service workers to maintain municipally owned gardens and open space.
The National Arbor Day Foundation has designated State College as a "Tree City USA," an honor that indicates a high level of commitment by the Borough's citizens and elected officials to manage their urban forest resources. The Municipal Tree Plan (PDF) describes the contemporary state of the urban forest and its management in State College.
Questions or Concerns
If you have questions or concerns about street trees, please call the Borough Arborist at 814-234-7100 during normal business hours or 800-479-0050 for emergencies or email the Tree Division.
Planting Schedule
The Tree Division of the Public Works Department plants, maintains, and removes trees in the grass plot areas along municipal streets and in local parks. In recent years, the Borough has planted approximately 150 street trees annually. To initiate the tree planting process, the Borough Arborist prepares a list of proposed sites and species for the upcoming planting year. In selecting a tree for a particular site, careful consideration is given to nearby trees in the landscape, size of the planting space, soil conditions, growth characteristics, potential disease and insect problems, and other factors.
The proposed planting list typically includes locations where trees have been or will be removed, specific requests from property owners, and other available planting spaces throughout the Borough. Using this list, members of the Tree Commission and the Borough Arborist work together to finalize planting recommendations. Shortly after, adjacent property owners are notified of proposed plantings and are invited to voice their support or objections during Tree Commission Public Hearings. Times and dates for these hearings can be found on the Meetings & Events Calendar. The Tree Commission and Arborist make every attempt to accommodate the requests from affected property owners while also taking into consideration the health and safety of the entire urban forest. Trees are then typically scheduled to arrive mid-April with planting to follow by the end of April.
Planned Tree Removals
It is the responsibility of the Arborist to oversee the removal of seriously damaged, diseased, disfigured trees, or those that may constitute a risk to the public within the Borough right-of-way. In a process similar to that of tree planting, the Borough Arborist inspects all trees each year and compiles a list of recommended removals. Candidates for removal are chosen by visually inspecting trees for decline or structural defects, disease or insect infestation, previous injury, or as a result of the risk they may present to the public or adjacent trees. Trees may also be removed for infrastructure improvements or by property owner request, however, these are considered on a case-by-case basis and must be approved by the Tree Commission.
Once the proposed removal list is finalized by the Tree Commission, written notice of planned removals on rights-of-way abutting private property is given to owners. Interested residents are invited to attend a Tree Commission Public Hearing held mid-summer and are encouraged to express their concerns or support for planned removals at this meeting. Evidence and opinions presented at the Public Hearing are taken into consideration as the Tree Commission makes a final decision on planned removals. Trees are then removed throughout the winter months when trees are dormant.
State College prides itself on having both safe, flat sidewalks as well as beautiful tree-lined streets. Many times, however, maintaining both can be difficult for the Borough and private property owners. At times, roots from adjacent trees may damage or raise sidewalk blocks and common attempts at repair may cause affected trees to decline or become hazardous. However, with proper planning and maintenance, both sidewalks and trees can co-exist.
For more information, please review the Sidewalk Pamphlet (PDF).
Trees in urban environments usually encounter significantly more stress than their counterparts in rural areas. Compacted soils, lack of water, damage from road salt and other chemicals, vandalism, and more contribute to the poor vigor of many urban trees. This increased stress on trees predisposes them to many different diseases and insects. Keeping both the public and private urban forests diverse is important to maximize ecological benefits and minimize the negative impacts insects and diseases may cause.
Listed below is information on common insect pests and diseases to look out for that pose a serious threat to the health of our urban forest. Diseases such as oak wilt and Dutch elm disease and insect pests such as the emerald ash borer and gypsy moth are among the most damaging; however, each of the following insects and diseases listed below can negatively impact our urban forest. Click on each to learn more about their potential impact, typical signs and symptoms, and what control measures are available to help protect our urban forest.
For additional information, please visit the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation & Natural Resources website.
Diseases
- Oak Wilt (PDF)
- Dutch Elm Disease (PDF)
- Thousand Cankers Disease (PDF)
- Bacterial Leaf Scorch (PDF)
- Elm Yellows(PDF)
- Fire Blight (PDF)
- Chlorosis (PDF)