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COUNTY News:
Los Alamos County Parks Division has contracted with Southwest Fire Defense to prune trees in Ashley Pond Park and along Central Avenue as part of ongoing maintenance.
Work has been scheduled to begin Monday, Sept. 25.
Pruning is an important management measure that will extend the health, safety, and life of trees. There are many different pruning needs depending on the location, size and growth habits of the trees.
Pruning falls into the following categories:
- Crown Cleaning: includes the removal of dead, diseased, obstructing, split, and/or broken branches that are 2 inches in diameter or greater. Limbs that are susceptible to failure from dense or heavy foliar masses should be thinned.
- Crown Raising: includes the removal of lower tree branches to allow for safe movement of vehicles and pedestrians under the canopy of the tree. Limbs above sidewalks should be no lower than 8 feet. Limbs above the road should be no lower than 18 feet.
- Crown Reduction: includes reducing the overall mass by thinning out the top and sides or just removing individual limbs of the tree. Reduction pruning is commonly associated with pruning away from buildings, structures, or overhead utility wires.
Southwest Fire Defense will be using multiple methods as their team prunes the tree lines across the downtown area. Pruning is tentatively scheduled for Sept. 25-28, weather permitting.
The Parks Division is also in the planning stages for eight tree plantings at Ashley Pond Park. Tree species will be selected based on regional adaptability, non-invasiveness, landscape appeal and the Tree Mitigation Policy of the County.
For more information about the project, contact Wendy Parker at wendy.parker@lacnm.us or call 505.663.1771.
