Many remember the winter of 2023 as a season marked by windy and rainy storms that resulted in days-long power outages, downed trees that blocked road lanes, traffic delays, injuries and damaged buildings in the local area.
To prevent a repeat of the previous year, Los Altos and Los Altos Hills city staff have taken measures to prevent downed trees from causing havoc as this winter continues.
According to Manny Hernandez, Los Altos parks and recreation director, city staff examined trees and soil during non-storm months. These outings allowed for the identification of trees left stressed and damaged after the 2023 storms, and let staff know where soil may contribute to unstable conditions for trees; specifically, Hernandez noted, staff checked for hard, lean and saturated soils.
Different soil types affect root systems differently, as some are easier to penetrate than others and some soils, like saturated soils, make top-heavy, shallow-rooted trees easy to topple in heavy winds.
Many of the trees that fell last year were such trees, Woojae Kim, Los Altos Hills public works director and city engineer, said.
“The main reasons that trees fell during the atmospheric river storm events in 2023 were due to years of drought, diminished root systems, sudden saturation of soils, and high winds. … As was the case during 2023 storms, many of the trees that fell were eucalyptus with constrained root system,” he said.
The town of Los Altos Hills conducts an annual tree survey using an arborist in the summer and fall months, Kim added. The survey, which is more visual in nature, identifies decaying trees, those at risk of falling and those that may be fire fuel.
“From the survey findings, property owners are notified of hazardous street trees that would either require trimming or removal,” Kim said. “Per the town’s ordinance, the care and maintenance of street trees are the responsibility of the property owner abutting the street tree.”
Toppling trees
But in cases a tree is in public right-of-way and needs to be dealt with promptly, the town has a contractor that cuts down trees that will, or are critically close to, falling.
“In 2023, 25 hazard trees in public right-of-way and in town properties were removed by the Town’s tree contractor,” Kim said.
Los Altos cut down around 12-15 trees of varying heights, from large to small, that were identified within city properties as “high risk” last year.
“City crews trimmed, pruned, and removed all trees identified as high risk of failing. Crews removed dead wood, raised canopies, and removed end weight to reduce failures,” Hernandez said. “These trees were on city parks/properties, Foothill Expressway medians and shoulders, El Monte Ave., Homestead Ave., El Camino sidewalks, downtown trees. Crews are continuing this work now.”
New policies
Hernandez added that while crews responded efficiently, fast, and safely as possible, additional equipment and trainings were added since the 2023 storms.
“More chainsaws were added and given to all crews out in the field,” Hernandez said.
“Chainsaw training was also provided in-house. All heavy equipment, and vehicles have been inspected, prepped and ready for upcoming storms.”
Since the 2023 storms, Los Altos Hills has enacted a standby policy for maintenance staff to be available 24/7 to respond to any emergencies, Kim said.
“Furthermore, the town has been purchasing necessary equipment and tools to respond to tree and other storm related events. Latest additions to the town’s equipment include a mini track loader and a telescopic bucket truck.”
Hernandez and Kim respectively emphasized homeowners should check the health of trees on their properties.
“Homeowners need to take a close look at trees in their property that have not been pruned for some time,” Hernandez said. “Identify potential hazards like large, heavy canopies, tree roots, tree bases and soil conditions.
“If homeowners are unaware of what to look for, our advice is to call a certified arborist to inspect trees and identify hazards.”
