Did you know Rossmoor has an amazing urban forest of trees that benefit the community by providing shade, oxygen and increased property values? Trees also reduce pollution and freeway noise and make people and especially children, healthier and happier. There are over 5,000 trees in our parks and parkways alone at a value of over 16 million dollars.

The RCSD Tree Policy, along with all other District policies are enacted and set forth by the RCSD Board of Directors. Employees of the District follow and enforce District policy but do not have the power to set or amend those policies. Rossmoor Community Services District regulates all of the trees located in the parkway, which is the strip of land between the curb and sidewalk of residential homes.  Except for persons acting on behalf of the District or the County, it is illegal for any person, including an adjacent homeowner, to prune, trim, remove, damage or plant trees within Rossmoor parkways. 

RCSD employs an ISA Certified Arborist to help manage the many aspects of Rossmoor’s Urban Forest, which includes coordinating grid and safety trims with District tree contractors and Orange County Public Works. OCPW provides the District with some tree services that include off-grid safety trims, emergency call-outs for tree emergencies and tree removals when necessary. The District Arborist also responds to removal requests and concerns regarding parkway trees, coordinates tree planting in cooperation with property owners, performs regular inspections of parkway trees and reports violations of District Tree Policy to the General Manager.

Appeals for decisions made under District Policy by do so by being placed on the regular agenda for the Tree Committee. Appeals for decisions made by the Tree Committee can be placed on the regular agenda for the Board of Directors. Agendas for all Board and Tree Committee meetings past and present are a matter of public record and are available for download on the RCSD website: rossmoor-csd.org.

All park and parkway trees are on a regular four-year grid schedule. Some trees qualify for an off-grid safety trim in between the four-year cycle. Residents or property owners can contact the RCSD if they feel a tree needs trimming and the District Arborist will assess the tree. All park and parkway trees are kept in an inventory system with data on each tree, including all previous work history of the tree recorded, going back to 2004.

Further questions concerning your parkway tree may be directed to RCSD Tree Consultant, Mary Kingman at x106.