Read more about this upcoming initiative and stay tuned for more information on enrollment and the application process!
City of Wheat Ridge Hazardous Tree Removal Grant Update:
We are so thankful for the large interest in the upcoming Hazardous Tree Removal Grant Program!
The City of Wheat Ridge’s Hazardous Tree Removal Grant Program is a 50% matching grant program, providing up to $1500 per property to private landowners for full tree removal of dead or dying hazardous trees which qualify as posing significant risk. Candidacy of trees for the program is to be determined by, and at the full discretion of the City Forester based on an official assessment and list of qualifying factors. Following the City Forester’s assessment, qualifying applicants must seek immediate tree removal services from a City approved list of contractors. Property owners will be required to pay for the tree work and will be reimbursed by the City through grant funds after the tree work is completed in order to prevent misuse of funds allocated by the City.
So what qualifies a tree as “hazardous”?
According to the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA, 2011), a hazard is a situation or condition that is likely to lead to a loss, personal injury, property damage, or disruption of activities; a likely source of harm. In relation to trees, a hazard is the tree part(s) identified as a likely source of harm. Risk is defined as the combination of the likelihood of an event and the severity of the potential consequences. In the context of trees, risk is the likelihood of a conflict or tree failure occurring and affecting the target, and the severity of the associated consequences – personal injury, property damage, or disruption of activities. Target or risk target refers to people, property or activities that could be injured, damaged, or disrupted by a tree.
Various levels of risk, harm and property damage are to be assessed by the city Forester. For example, if a tree is fully dead, but has no risk target (such as in an open field), it cannot be considered a hazard tree. Likewise, a tree that has structural defects that pose a significant risk, while it may still be living, will be rated as higher on the risk assessment and therefore may be considered a hazard tree and candidate for removal.
Please be patient as the City of Wheat Ridge’s Parks, Forestry, and Open Space team is in the process of finalizing details on this program. Once budgets and logistics are finalized, online enrollment will open to the public. There will be a limited number of applications accepted with each online enrollment period, however there will be multiple enrollment periods per year in Fall and Spring, beginning Fall 2021.
Stay tuned for more information on enrollment and the application process!