Announcements

As the community continues to mature, the 39,000+ trees that LARMAC prunes are also maturing. When trees are younger, they require more frequent pruning to develop their branching structure, especially for trees that line our parkways. Younger trees are also much easier to prune, requiring fewer labor hours and less debris disposal. These younger trees also heal over the pruning cuts much faster than a mature tree. 

As the trees mature and become larger, they require less pruning, as they have already developed their branching structure and growth patterns. It’s important to note that each pruning cut creates a wound that requires the tree to exert energy to heal itself and regrow the canopy. Tree health and safety are top priorities in preserving Ladera’s Urban Forest. Tree pruning on our mature/larger trees occurs for health and safety reasons (i.e. addressing broken or diseased branches), and for the parkway trees, we want to ensure proper pedestrian and vehicular clearance.  

As the community approaches its 25th anniversary and with the continued maturity of the Homeowner Street Trees (HST), LARMAC is adjusting the pruning schedule. The over 5,000 HST, 850 pocket park trees and the 8,000+ common area trees will now shift from a 2-year pruning cycle to a 3-year pruning cycle. 

Currently, the LARMAC tree pruning budget supports an 18-man crew dedicated to pruning Ladera’s 39,000+ trees. As the trees mature, pruning takes longer, resulting in many trees falling off schedule or not being scheduled at all. By implementing this updated HST pruning schedule, LARMAC can prune an additional 6,500 trees annually, with the goal of eventually scheduling all 39,000+ trees. We recognize that trees at the end of the current 2-year schedule may not be trimmed until 2026, which could be too long for some. LARMAC is assessing those trees and formulating a plan to address them based on the needs related to the tree’s health and safety. 

Want to learn more about Ladera’s trees? Visit our Homeowner Street Tree FAQs and Common Area Tree Maintenance FAQs.

For more information about the benefits of trees and proper tree pruning standards established by the International Society of Arboriculture visit www.treesaregood.org. Informational articles are also available on the LaderaLife Landscape page.