Urban Forest Management Team

Contact Us

See a fallen branch or a tree that needs attention? Facilities Management's Customer Experience Center manages our urgent and non-urgent requests.

Urgent Requests and Emergencies

Call (530) 752-1655

Non-Urgent Requests

Submit a work order online

We love our trees! From our redwoods to heritage oaks every tree provides value and serves as a living history for our campus. Our campus's urban forest management team leads a robust Campus Tree Renewal Program to maintain and expand the university's urban forest of over 20,000 trees. This team's goals are to keep our campus safe, beautiful, and always adaptive to the changing climate. They are responsible for the care and management of our tree populations as well as ensuring the health and safety of individual trees including assessing and treating health issues, pruning and shaping to improve appearance and long-term viability, and lastly, removal, if needed.

Tree Health Assessment

This team conducts tree health assessments and updates our campus's database of trees on a routine basis. Each tree in the database is mapped and assigned a unique number. Updates keep the team informed about tree pathogens, pests, leaning, decay, foliage or branch scarring — following standards established by the International Society of Arboriculture. The data helps prioritize the type and timing of future maintenance needs.

Extreme Weather Response

Before, during and after extreme weather events, this team not only strives to prepare our trees for upcoming conditions, they manage the removal of tree failures and the large quantities of branches and debris that may result.

Tree Planting

As part of the Campus Tree Renewal Program, we will only be planting trees that are appropriate for the future climate. Not only will we plant tried and true tree species like valley oaks and live oaks, we've also found that Texas red oaks thrive in our current, low-water conditions. As a result, we are testing more trees from Texas. Students in our Learning by Leading™ Urban Tree Stewardship program helped gather, grow and plant 45 species in campus trial sites. The results can be found in our Texas Tree Trials Database.

Tree Removal

Tree removal is something we do not take lightly. Removals may occur if we find that a tree's health jeopardizes community safety. Trees may also be removed due to construction projects. These choices are made thoughtfully and collaboratively between Campus Planning and UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden leadership.

Image of Tyler Kern, campus arborist, in the UC Davis Arboretum.

Team Leadership

Tyler Kern, UC Davis' first urban forester, leads the urban forest management team. Kern has worked on numerous projects in his career aimed at supporting flourishing environments and is excited to bring his expertise back to this community.