Tree Walk 2025

We were thrilled to have Dr. Matt Ritter host our annual Tree Walk on Saturday, July 19 in Mission Trail Nature Preserve. Dr. Ritter also gave a lecture at Forest Theatre and signed his latest book, California Trees, a guide to 95 native tree species. A professor in the Biology Department at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, Dr. Ritter is also the author of A Californian’s Guide to the Trees Among Us and California Plants: A Guide to our Iconic Flora.

The goal of the tree walk and lecture was to highlight the importance of Carmel’s urbanized forest. “Carmel’s green spaces have challenges – development, climate change and fire safety,” said Ramie Allard, president of Friends of Carmel Forest. “Dr. Ritter is excellent at conveying the importance of our forest and natural habitat in an entertaining and memorable way.”’

2023 Forester's Report

Here is a PDF of the 2023 Forester’s Report for the City of Carmel-by-the-Sea. With the new Forester, Jason Ono, taking the helm, the numbers for replacing trees has gone up. We hope to see them climb up even further and include mortality rates as we work together to revitalize Carmel’s beautiful urbanized forest.

WHY TREES FALL

Why Trees Fall was a very successful event! Held on October 14th at Sunset Center’s Carpenter Hall, master arborists Peter Quintanilla and Mike Tope made presentations and answered questions from the public.

Tree Walk 2023

Pat Regan
Tree Walk 2023

On Saturday, June 24, two of our popular tree walks were led by expert biologist and horticultural consultant, Pat Regan. A professional naturalist, Pat runs a local native plant nursery and has over 40 years experience with native plants and trees. This year, we toured beautiful Mission Trail Nature Preserve where we learned about native and invasive species.

Earth Day

Join us for Earth Day in Devendorf Park on Saturday, April 22 from 10 AM to 2 PM. We look forward to seeing you there!

FOREST & BEACH COMMISSION - MARCH UPDATE

MARCH STORMS

  • 142 tree-related incidents reported

  • 47 trees fell in the City (excluding in the Mission Trail Nature Preserve)

  • 28 trees removed due to uprooting/active failure

  • Dozens of broken or fallen limbs cleared

  • 40 high-priority tree removals and prunings scheduled

  • 70 permit applications received, 70 permits issued

  • Mission Trail Nature Preserve: 14 trees fell, 18 instances of trees with significant leaning, are heavily damaged, or dead, or piles of fire fuel (all need to be either removed, pruned, chipped, and cleared for fuel reduction

FOREST NEWS

  • Davey Resource Group, the consultant who is preparing the Urban Forest Master Plan, completed the inventory of nearly 10,000 City trees and uploaded the information in the Tree Keeper program. This includes tree recommendations and planting locations. 

Forest & Beach Commission - January Update

Here is the monthly update for the Forest & Beach Commission:

  • Winter Storms - The City Forester responded to 88 calls during the January winter storms. Losses include 38 public trees and 14 private trees, 7 structures and 1 car.

  • San Carlos Median Landscaping Project - A public workshop will be held on Thursday, January 26 from 4-7 pm in the Babcock Room in Sunset Center.

  • Replanting Requirements - The City provided replanting numbers, both historical and for 2022. While the 94.90% replanting rate in 2020 is impressive, we would like to see percentages go way over 100% to ensure young trees thrive.

Forest & Beach Commission - November Update

Here is the monthly update for the Forest & Beach Commission:

  • Public Works presented a revised San Carlos Median Plan. The Commission agreed that the project should go to a second public workshop for feedback.

  • Forester Sara Davis will be posting applications for a Steering Committee to guide the next iteration of the Forest and Beach Management Plan. Stay tuned for details!

New Executive Director

Maria Sutherland

Maria Sutherland has been named Executive Director for Friends of Carmel Forest, and we are delighted. Maria has served on the board as President (2015-2019) and Vice President (2007-2010). “We look forward to increasing awareness of Carmel’s unique ecosystem, collaborating with the City and local non-profits, and celebrating our wonderful donors,” says Maria. “Our goal is to ensure Carmel’s natural beauty for generations to come.”

Carmel Tree Walks on July 2, 2022

Master arborist Jason Shirar led our trees walks this year. A regular speaker at Canopy in Palo Alto, Jason holds a BS in Forestry with a concentration in Urban Forest Management. He is a ISA board certified arborist and certified municipal specialist, and a 2015 graduate of the Davey Institute for Tree Science.

Winter Storm Prepartion - Be Proactive

To avoid storm damage during high winds, it is imperative that you proactively trim and maintain your trees to reduce for wind shear and remove weak limbs. We recommend having a City-approved arborist inspect your trees on an annual basis.

Prevention is key. This is one more reason we advocate for a fully-funded forestry staff. Currently, the Forestry department has to borrow staff from Public Works as its own staff has been depleted. Dedicated tree workers need to be consistently monitoring for any signs of potential hazards and taking proactive action to ensure the safe enjoyment of our forest.