In mid-July, the Mt. Lebanon Commission approved a contract with Davey Resource Group, environmental consultants that focus on resource management and urban forestry solutions. Davey will look at ways to improve municipal street tree management.

Street trees are the trees planted near sidewalks in the public right-of-way, which is 25 feet from the center of the road. The Mt. Lebanon Public Works Department maintains more than 10,000 street trees.

Public Works Director Rudy Sukal is pushing to prioritize street trees. “Mt. Lebanon is known for tree-lined streets, residents really like them, and we want to do everything possible to maintain and grow them,” said Sukal.

Mt. Lebanon gained Tree City USA recognition from the Arbor Day Foundation 20 years ago, demonstrating a commitment to caring for public trees.

At the June 24 Commission discussion meeting, Sukal explained that street trees have historically been pushed under the radar by more urgent needs.

“With a three-person crew and over 10,000 street trees to maintain, it’s daunting for our staff,” said Sukal. Public works is stretched too thin under current tree management practices, and the biggest concern is public safety.

Crew members triage concerns and address the most critical first, such as a branch fallen on a house. Because of the lack of resources and manpower, the department drops everything else to address these emergency situations, creating a backlog on other maintenance requests.

Two of the regular complaints Commissioners receive from residents are about street trees: that the backlogs for tree-trimming are too long and that the unruly tree roots interfere with sidewalk use.

Mt. Lebanon does not currently have a framework to understand the structural cost of tree maintenance or any way of projecting the cost of fixing the problems; this is where Davey Resource Group comes in.

“I’m not an expert,” said Sukal during the Commission’s June 24 discussion session, “and that’s why we’re bringing a third party in to tell us what they think we should do. These people do this every day.”

Davey is experienced in the field and has the capacity to complete a comprehensive review of Mt. Lebanon’s forestry operation. This review will look at pre-existing policies and recommend changes, explore strategies for private landowners to maintain trees on their property, develop plans to avoid conflict with overhead utility lines and sidewalks and much more. Each step in the process will better Mt. Lebanon’s tree canopy and overall urban forestry operation.

The 2025 Municipal Budget includes $90,000 for this project, and the Commission authorized the manager and solicitor to execute an agreement not exceeding $115,000.

Davey is projected to complete the review within a year. For more information about Mt. Lebanon’s forestry operation and street tree maintenance requests, go to mtlebanon.org/forestry-operation.