The Tree Team: Get to know our Urban Forestry professionals
If Richmond’s Urban Forestry team wants you to know one thing about their work, it’s that they’re coming to the more than 120,000 public trees around our city with tons of experience.
“We’re not just guys out there with chainsaws cutting things down for fun. We’re professionals,” says Operations Superintendent Sam Lilly.
Our Urban Forestry team has four Certified Arborists, including Sam, and a Board Certified Master Arborist in Urban Forester Michael Webb! Their work involves major storm response, preparing trees for City events—like the current implementation of new red light speed cameras near schools—and yes, responding to 311 service requests.
For Michael, 311 requests are about triage. Just like in a hospital’s emergency room, it’s important to know what concerns are serious but less time-sensitive, and which are immediately urgent. That assessment can also change quickly. “Even more than sidewalks and potholes, our requests can be more dynamic. The urgency can change based on weather,” he says.
If you notice a tree in the public right of way that looks dangerous, or there are tree limbs down in that public right of way, here’s what happens when you call 311 or submit a service request at rva311.com:
Step #1: Service request created. A 311 agent will file the service request and direct it to Urban Forestry as a “request for assessment.” You’ll get a service request number that you can reference if you call or message for updates.
Step #2: Assessment. Urban Forestry dispatches one of their two certified city arborists to the location. This first visit is an assessment, or that triaging Michael describes. “Our arborists will determine based on experience and training what the best course of action is for that tree,” Sam says. “You run into a thousand different things once you get out there and see what’s actually going on.” Urban Forestry tries to complete this first assessment within ten days of receiving the request.
During the assessment process, one of three things usually happen:
- After visiting, arborists decide that there aren’t any safety or health concerns, so the tree doesn’t meet service criteria. They close the service request.
- The arborists observe dead branches or needs for structural pruning. “Somebody might want the tree cut down and we realize it’s one dead branch—we're not going to remove a whole tree for one dead branch,” Sam says. “Our goal is always to maintain the canopy.”
- The arborists decide that removal is necessary. “If a tree is too far gone or too hazardous, this is our last resort,” Sam says.
Step #3: Planning and scheduling. If the arborist decides that action is needed, the project goes into Urban Forestry’s workflow. “We have to manage budget and logistics and safety to determine what happens next,” Sam explains. “Front and center is that we base on schedules on public safety and hazard abatement.” Scheduling varies depending on the urgency of the issue, contractor and team schedules, and current weather events.
Step #4: Completion and close-out . Once the project comes up the queue—which can vary depending on those scheduling elements—a city team or contractors go out and complete the recommended work. Your service request is marked as resolved!
From the operations managers all the way to crews and contractors, the Urban Forestry team is prepared to take on critical work in a way that is safe, efficient, and responsive to our biggest community needs. To learn more about their work (including cool things like planting permits), check them out online.
