PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — Philadelphia has at least a five-year backlog in street tree maintenance, according to city officials, who say thousands of trees need pruning or removal as residents continue to raise concerns about public safety.<\/p>\n
The city relies largely on reports from residents rather than proactive inspections to identify tree issues, a dynamic City Forester Erica Smith Fichman said she is working to change.<\/p>\n
Residents on the 1400 block of Jefferson Street in the city’s Brewerytown section say they have experienced multiple incidents involving falling trees and limbs.<\/p>\n
“I just wish the city knew these trees are huge and dangerous,” Lauren Dye Netti said.<\/p>\n
Dye Netti said a tree limb fell near the fence line of the Athletic Recreation Center and destroyed her car last year.<\/p>\n
In early May, another tree toppled, damaging three homes, including one owned by Amira Zahir, whose SUV was also damaged.<\/p>\n
“These trees are very old; we warned the city before,” Zahir said. “My house was injured and my car was destroyed. So yeah, it’s pretty enraging,” Dye Netti said.<\/p>\n
Residents said the tree that collapsed in May fell on a sunny day, and that complaints had been made for months to the city’s Parks and Recreation Department, which is responsible for tree maintenance.<\/p>\n
“It was a tree that we knew was dead. We were basically waiting for it to fall,” Dye Netti said.<\/p>\n
Smith Fichman, whose position was created in 2023, said the tree that fell had been inspected and determined to be safe.<\/p>\n
“It is scary. This is why we talk about maintenance as trust building and trying to get out,” Smith Fichman said.<\/p>\n
She said the city needs additional funding and staffing to address the maintenance backlog.<\/p>\n
Smith Fichman estimates that about 25,000 trees require pruning, with about 1,700 scheduled to be pruned this year.<\/p>\n
She also said roughly 3,500 trees need to be removed.<\/p>\n
“It’s a moving target, right? Cause every single day we learn about more things that need to be done,” she said.<\/p>\n
During budget hearings earlier this year, Smith Fichman told City Council that the street tree maintenance budget was about $800,000.<\/p>\n
She estimates the city would need $5 million for pruning and $3 million for tree removal to eliminate the backlog.<\/p>\n
“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.<\/p>\n
Back on Jefferson Street, residents said tree canopies near their homes remain a concern.<\/p>\n
They said Parks and Recreation initially suggested hiring a private contractor because of the backlog, but they say after informing the city that Action News was investigating, the street was put on a pruning contract.<\/p>\n
“I am not going to do that. I mean it’s their responsibility. It’s their trees. It’s on public property. It’s not any of our trees. It’s not the residents’ responsibility to do that,” said Jessica Evans, a Brewerytown resident.<\/p>\n
City officials say they must prioritize the trees considered most dangerous and address those first.<\/p>\n
Residents with tree concerns are encouraged to contact 311.<\/p>\n
If a tree appears to present an imminent danger, officials say residents should call 911 so the report can be routed to Parks and Recreation for an immediate response.<\/p>\n
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