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10 SOLERA DIAMOND VALLEY | JUNE 2024 Written by Tim Jahns, Resident e trees all around us are wonders of nature that provide so many benefits, from their beauty to shade to habitat for birds and other wildlife. Of course, they require care and consideration to thrive. In caring for them, we need to provide water and occasionally some conscientious trimming. One of the most unappealing sights is a tree that has been butchered so that little remains but a trunk and a few short, hacked stubs. It's not only unsightly but harmful to the tree when cutting is severe. As most SDV residents know, we are responsible for upkeep of trees and plants in our own yards. However, we are not permitted to do trimming of trees in the parkway areas between sidewalks and the street. ose parkway trees belong to the city, and their pruning is the responsibility of the City of Hemet's Parks Department. Both our HOA governing documents and the City of Hemet forbid residents from trimming those trees. Not knowing much about the best pruning practices, I sought information and advice from local sources including Joe Cagliero, the owner of Cagliero Ranch Nursery and a noted expert on the subject, and Mauro Lozoya, Parks Supervisor for the city and the person who arranges the tree trimming for our community's parkway trees. Whether you try to trim trees yourself or hire a professional like an arborist to do the work, the principles are much the same. In most of southern California, the best time to prune is generally in the fall, when a tree is likely going dormant. ough trees may vary in their pruning requirements, especially different fruit trees, it's best to trim no more than one-third of the overall area of a tree with an emphasis on thinning and shaping uniformly in the canopy. Trimming more on the interior will provide good air flow and encourage outward growth. Letting light into the center of the tree and allowing wind to pass through the canopy. Avoid massive cutting from the top of the tree, instead liing and opening the tree from the lower limbs to the upper part of the canopy. Some people try to avoid a messy yard or sidewalk caused by trees dropping their blooms by hacking the tree severely. As Joe Cagliero says, "ey believe it will come back. It probably will come back, but it will struggle. And it may die, then decay and get infested with insects." If you have a tree in the parkway that is dying, diseased or seriously overgrown, you can contact the City Parks Department at (951) 765-3712. ey will send someone out to inspect the tree and recommend action. If the tree needs trimming, removal or other care, the city will schedule that with the homeowner. e city is divided into sectors for periodic trimming by Parks Department crews. Our community is scheduled for that trimming in the period starting July 2025. e Art and Rules of Tree Trimming Community Bash

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