• Guide to Tree Pruning

    Trees make our communities beautiful, cooler, and help our mental and economic health. Unfortunately, average homeowners often unknowingly damage their trees by forgetting to provide water or through improper pruning. Also, some people are not aware of the damage it can do to nesting birds if timing is during nesting season or the tree care company that they hire is not knowledgeable about avoiding disturbance to nesting wildlife. Native nesting birds are protected by laws, so it’s important to take correct action. IUFC has created a helpful publication about pruning: "A Practical Guide to Tree Pruning: How not to get clipped." Young Tree Pruning The Inland Urban Forest Council shares tips and tricks for pruning young trees to avoid problems as the tree matures. Basics of Pruning If you are a homeowner wondering how to care for your tree, the Inland Urban Forest Council offers some basics about correct pruning. Also, you will learn about communicating with pruning companies to ensure the health and long life of your tree. Download Our Guide Tree Pruning Guide


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    Waterwise Tree Care

    Trees and Water Are Precious ResourcesPrioritize watering trees during a water shortage. To reduce water loss to evaporation, water in the early morning. Plant native or drought resistant tree species that require less water. Install efficient irrigation systems with uniform components and "smart controllers." In areas with ponding, runoff, or compaction, schedule 2-3 short run times, rather than one longer run. Wet the surface of the soil beneath the tree's canopy and beyond. Direct water away from the trunk, to prevent moist conditions that foster disease. Water young trees at least twice per week: moisten the root ball to encourage rapid root growth. Water mature trees every 1-4 weeks; native trees less often. Spread mulch under and beyond the canopy, but not touching the trunk. Repair broken and worn components, clogged and missing emitters, and leaks. Look for overspray, sprinkler misting, and ponding. Deep, infrequent watering encourages deep root growth for drought resistance. Evalutate your soil type and rooting depth. Download the Brochure The Inland Urban Forest Council offers tips and advice on waterwise tree care for Inland Southern California.


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  • Community Education & Engagement

    The Inland Urban Forest Council (IUFC) provides outreach programs and educates about proper tree selection, planting, and care. IUFC has in the past obtained funding for tree plantings, coordinated community plantings, and provided training to communities about developing Urban Forest Management Plans. Council leaders provided free tree pruning workshops for Master Gardeners. Our speaker volunteers have worked to raise awareness at events such as “Ask the Experts”, Arbor Day, and Earth Day. Operation Tree CanopyIUFC supported Operation Tree Canopy, a citizen science program sponsored by Earthwatch Institute. Our council members led groups in collecting data and leaf samples. UC Riverside scientists then correlated the ground-collected data to high altitude photos taken by NASA. The scientists studied the cooling effects of different tree species for Southern California.


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