Tree inspection report

To create a service request to report a tree on municipal property that you suspect is in poor health, contact Access Vaughan at 905-832-2281 or accessvaughan@vaughan.ca.

A Forestry inspector will visit the site within 45 business days to examine the condition of the tree and determine the work to be done. The forestry inspector will leave you a voice message or door knocker with the status of your call.

Why does the City prune trees?  

• to promote good health
• to prevent insects and disease
• to remove potential safety hazards
• to make vehicle and pedestrian clearances
• to reduce storm damage from high winds, snow, and freezing rain
• to accommodate streetlights, buildings, and utilities

When and how are trees pruned?

The City prunes trees routinely according to species, age and, in some cases, location and uses different types of pruning:

• Crown cleaning is the removal of dead, dying, diseased, crowded, weakly attached and unhealthy branches from the crown of a tree.
• Crown thinning is the selective removal of branches to increase light penetration and air movement through the crown. Thinning opens the foliage of a tree, reduces weight on heavy limbs, reduces water intake, and helps retain the tree's natural shape.
• Crown clearance is the selective removal of the branches from the tree to provide clearance for buildings, vehicles, pedestrians, streetlights, traffic signals, road, regulatory signage and sight lines. Specification 2.4 metres (8 feet) over a sidewalk and 4.26 metres over a road.
• Crown reduction reduces the size of a tree, to make room for utility lines. Reducing the height or spread of a tree is best accomplished by pruning back the leaders and branch terminals to lateral branches that are large enough to assume the terminal roles. This method maintains the form and structural integrity of the tree.
• Crown restoration removes damaged limbs to restore an appropriate stable form to the tree. This is often necessary following storm damage.
• Crown complete is the holistic pruning of a tree that encompasses, cleaning and clearance. 
• Crown establishment is the selective pruning of the crown of newly planted trees to promote an aesthetically and structurally sound branching system. 

Why does the tree look so different after pruning? 

After being pruned, a tree might look rather bare. It will begin to look normal during the next growing season, with a healthier and more attractive form and structure.