City Trees

City trees are trimmed to:

• remove dead limbs
• maintain clearance over sidewalks, roadways and away from structures

You can water trees on City property but do not trim or remove a tree that is on City property, regardless of who planted it. The City of Hamilton routinely prunes trees located on City-owned property (including parks and road allowances). The City may prune private trees extending over roadways and sidewalks to provide proper clearances. Trees in the urban area of the city are pruned every 7 years.

If your tree is in a rural area of the City, pruning is done by request. Please contact 905-546-2489 if your tree needs pruning.

City trees will only be removed when deemed appropriate by Forestry. If a City tree needs removal, Forestry will contact the adjacent homeowners. Removals are scheduled based on priority.

To meet the Urban Forest Strategy target to grow the urban canopy to 40% by 2050 a replacement tree will be installed (if space permits). The investigator will recommend the appropriate specie(s) based on the site.

City trees will only be removed if they are dead, diseased or considered dangerous.

The following are not considered valid reasons for tree removal requests:

• tree is messy because of fruit or seeds production

• leaves clogging eves troughs

• homeowner does not want to rake leaves

Stump removal
Once a City tree is cut down, the stump will be scheduled for removal in a systematic manner. 

Delays for stump removal occur if the City tree is in the middle of a garden, if there is a fence or other object in the way, or if there is heavy snow.

City trees requiring maintenance such as trimming, staking or removal, please contact the City of Hamilton at 905-546-2489