The department’s Urban Forest Services unit cares for Sacramento’s 150,000-plus trees and when gusty winds knock down branches or uproot trees, they’re responsible for cleaning up the mess. Manager Joe Benassini says winter is an especially hectic season for his crews. 

"It’s the time of the year when we have a higher incidence of tree failures primarily because of saturated soil conditions and high winds, and what happens is that it’s not the tree itself that fails, but it’s the soil that anchors the tree that fails."

Benassini says you can report tree-related emergencies to the Urban Forest Services unit where workers are ready to respond 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.