Students mulching a young tree for a tree care service day

Tree Care

As we grow the urban forest, caring for existing trees is just as important as planting new trees.

Early maintenance and care ensures greater health and longevity for trees and provides the community with lasting benefits.

Tree Care Request

Complete the form below if there is a Canopy-planted tree that needs care. For urgent tree issues or requests, email [email protected].

Don’t have a Canopy-planted tree? Learn how to care for your tree or contact our Tree Hotline for help.

More information about city-specific regulations and tree care, including city-owned trees and heritage trees, can be found at the links below:

Tree Care in the Community

Canopy volunteers and staff regularly water, mulch, train, prune, and inspect city and school trees. We also educate residents about caring for trees, and provide a host of community resources.

The Great Oak Count

After 20 years, Canopy is re-launching a comprehensive survey of Palo Alto’s native oak population. Using Tree Plotter, an interactive online mapping tool, volunteers will help collect valuable information about our native oaks and how our urban forest ecosystem has changed since the last survey.

Young Tree Care Survey

Our annual survey of the health of Palo Alto’s young street trees engages volunteers and educates residents to provide first care and streamline City maintenance.

Is Your Tree Thirsty? Campaign

Canopy’s outreach efforts remind residents to water young trees and educate the community about watering options and water conservation.

Young Tree Care in East Palo Alto

Mulching, training, pruning, weeding, watering and maintaining irrigation are all in a day’s work for Canopy’s Teen Urban Foresters, Program Director, and Volunteer Tree Care Leaders. Group work days provide needed ongoing care for the East Palo Alto Tree Initiative trees.

Learn More

Canopy’s Tree Care Plan (Apr. 2016)pdficon

As our tree-planting numbers have grown, Canopy has developed new structures and strategies for ensuring the health of recently-planted trees, whether in schools, parks, or neighborhoods.

Stewardship matters: Case studies in establishment success of urban treespdficon

Journal article by Lara Roman, et al (2015) in Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, about Canopy’s exceptional tree survival rate attributed to planting and maintenance practices, program management, and site characteristics.

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“Anybody can dig a hole and plant a tree. But to make sure it survives, you have to nurture it, you have to water it, you have to keep at it until it becomes rooted so it can take care of itself.”

~ Wangari Maathai,
Nobel Prize Laureate & Canopy Supporter

Volunteer Learn