Chandler uses tree inventory data to plan replacements after monsoon season losses

CHANDLER, AZ — Chandler parks and streetscapes lost more than 200 trees this monsoon season, totaling $675,164 in lost tree assets.

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The city was hit hard by monsoon storms this season.

“As soon as we felt like we had everything cleaned up another one came rolling through,” said Brandon Putman, parks superintendent for the City of Chandler.

Chandler parks lost 122 trees, plus 82 trees in Chandler streetscapes, totaling over $675,000 in assets.

“The storms just keep getting stronger and stronger, and when you are in a desert community and it is all about shade, it is disappointing to have to kind of restart,” Putman said.

Since 2024, the city has kept an inventory of all of its trees. It includes data like the type of tree, its overall condition, height and its location.

This year the city says the data shows proactive maintenance helped.

“We did not lose any of those trees that we proactively pruned last year to those storms,” Putman said.

Now they are starting to think about replacing the trees they did lose.

“It’s opportunity, now with the inventory data that we have we can make informed management decisions in where we replant our trees,” said Ryan McCartney, urban forester for the City of Chandler.

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It’s something Chandler resident Max Reynoso, who lost a tree of his own, hopes to see.

“I would hope so, because you know for us to survive in the summer we need some of that shade when it hits that 115 degrees so yeah I hope so too, just like me I am going to have to eventually replace mine,” Reynoso said.

The city will look at the species of tree that was there and if that needs to be different. In some cases, more than one tree will be planted to make up for the lost shade of the more mature trees.

“Our hope is to offset the amount of trees we have lost with getting newer, younger, more vibrant trees in the ground, to help compensate for that shade loss,” Putman said.

In November, Chandler residents can help replenish the city’s tree canopy in their own neighborhoods. The city will have free trees for neighbors to take and plant for Arbor Day.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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