Philadelphia is facing a multi-year backlog in street tree maintenance.
City officials estimate that at least five years of work would be needed to prune or remove thousands of trees that residents have cited as public safety hazards.
The city relies mainly on resident reports rather than proactive inspections to identify issues, a practice City Forester Erica Smith Fichman said she is trying to change.
“These trees are very old; we warned the city before,” said Amira Zahir to 6abc.
“My house was injured, and my car was destroyed. So, yeah, it’s pretty enraging,” Dye Netti said.
Smith Fichman estimates that approximately 25,000 trees need pruning and around 3,500 require removal. Only about 1,700 pruning projects are planned for the current year.
Budget and staffing constraints are cited as major causes of the backlog. Earlier this year, Smith Fichman reported to City Council the need for approximately $5 million for pruning and $3 million for tree removal to clear the backlog.
“That is an estimate based on what we know is out there, based on requests. It is not an estimate of what we know is based on our own proactive inspection,” she said.
City officials said they must prioritize the trees considered most dangerous and address these trees first. They urge residents to report concerns via 311. In cases of imminent danger, residents should call 911 so the report can be routed to Parks and Recreation for an immediate response.