Arborist

Mission & Overview

The mission of the Bowling Green (BG) Arborist is to provide a high-quality urban forestry program to the community, in conjunction with providing tree related public educational opportunities and outreach.

The Arborist cares for the City trees within the road right-of-way, as well as a regular line clearance tree trimming program for safe and reliable electricity. The City of Bowling Green urban forest includes more than 9,500 trees in the public right-of-way, public parks, and green spaces. A healthy and safe urban forest includes wildlife diversity, higher property values, air, and water quality, stormwater management, energy savings from summer and winter extremes, and quality of human health.

City Tree Plantings in Green Spaces

The goal is to plant the "Right Tree in the Right Place" by selecting trees that fit the planting site based on soil type, drainage, infrastructure (power lines, gas lines, water and sewer lines), visibility triangle, and long-term capital improvement projects. Each year the City aims to plant more trees than are removed.

The City Arborist coordinates with multiple City Departments to include the preservation of trees or tree replacement programs to maintain the canopy effect. All new subdivisions and new business plans are now reviewed by the City Arborist to offer recommendations on future tree plantings and landscape design plans.

City Tree Inventory

The City of Bowling Green has over 9,500 city trees growing in the right-of-way or on City property. Each tree is entered in the City's tree inventory. The public can access the tree inventory to look up a City tree or learn about the environmental benefits the City's trees provide.

Municipal Tree Pruning for 2023-24

Our internal City tree crews will be pruning large City trees and training young trees throughout. They will prune out dead and diseased branches, broken/crossing branches, or branches that hang into the street or sidewalk. They will also be pruning young trees throughout Bowling Green to develop a good structure that will help maximize the benefits they will provide throughout their life.

Landscaping Options for Underground Electric Transformers

The City of Bowling Green Electric Division requires 3 feet of space on the sides and the rear of the padmount transformer and a minimum of 8 feet in front of the transformer for safe operations of service.  Planting landscape material, rocks, retaining walls, or putting in fences to hide the “green box” is a safety issue for both City Electric crews and the landowner.

Buckeye Yard & Garden Online

Buckeye Yard and Garden Online provides timely information about Ohio growing conditions, pests, diseases, and cultural problems. Updated weekly between April and October, this information is useful for those who are managing a commercial nursery, garden center, or landscape business or someone who just wants to keep their yard looking good all summer.

Growing Degree Days & Phenology for Bowling Green

Provides Growing degree days and plant phenology provide estimated dates of when plants bloom and insect pests activity throughout the growing season. 

American Standard for Nursery Stock

This standard provides specifications for nursery growers and landscapers on the size and condition of trees, shrubs, and bulbs sold in the nursery trade.