Tree care

Trees improve our quality of life. They have a positive influence on our urban climate.

Trees ensure clean air, provide shade and offer protection for various animals and plants. They not only contribute to noise reduction, but also shape the cityscape.

64.800 (as of 24.04.2023) trees are located in public areas on streets, green spaces, playgrounds, along water bodies of the 2nd order and in municipal facilities in the city of Jena.

50 % of these are individual trees and 50 % are in the extensive stock.

For inquiries, information and claims

we ask for

a photo of the tree in question
the tree number and its color
and the street name.

Please also provide a telephone number for any queries. Please send a corresponding message to baumpflege@jena.de.

In the event of damage, e.g. after severe weather events, you can also use the City of Jena's defect reporting system.

Tree number - example green/white (KSJ Baumpflege)

©KSJ

Areas of responsibility for tree care


Brand with tree no.	Color	Trees in the area	E-mail
Bild	green/white	KSJ Tree Care North Center South-West South-East	baumpflege-nord@jena.de baumpflege-zentrum@jena.de baumpflege-sued-west@jena.de baumpflege-sued-ost@jena.de
Bild	blue/white	KSJ water trees	baumpflege-gewaesser@jena.de
Bild	black/yellow	KSJ Cemeteries	friedhof@jena.de
Bild	brown/white	Municipal real estate	baumpflege-kij@jena.de
Bild	black/white	Jenawohnen	post@jenawohnen.de

Areas of responsibility for tree care

1.8 MB fileformat: pdf

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Tasks

Tree inspections should be carried out to check traffic safety, identify damage and determine safety and maintenance measures or recommendations for action. Arboricultural measures carried out in good time can prevent subsequent problems with regard to traffic safety. For this purpose, regular inspections are carried out in the form of visual inspections by professionally qualified inspection from the ground. (Source: FFL tree inspection guidelines)

The following measures can be defined:

Young tree care (e.g. developmental pruning, watering, tree grille care)
Tree care measures (e.g. crown care, removing dead wood, cutting clearance profile)
detailed examination (in special circumstances, e.g. if roots are dug up during construction work or compaction occurs in the tree environment)
Felling
Replanting

If a felling permit is required, this is applied for from the Environmental Protection Department of the City of Jena.

KSJ tree inspector in action

©KSJ

Objectives of tree care:

Sustainable promotion of vitality and growth
Ensuring traffic safety
Avoidance of undesirable developments of the tree
Integration of the tree population within its environment

Measures

Deadwood removal and crown care are the main maintenance measures for restoring the road safety of urban trees.
The aim of young tree care (training and pruning) is to ensure that the tree will later fulfill its function.
After a collision damage, the tree is treated with wound protection film to prevent greater damage (usually rot and fungal infestation) to the tree.

In principle

The preservation of trees has top priority. However, various signs such as the death of the tree due to diseases such as fungal infestation, prolonged drought or vandalism can lead to the decision to fell the tree. As the decision between preserving or felling a tree can have very different reasons, we generally consult with various specialist services of the city of Jena and, if necessary, apply for a felling permit.

Felling permits are issued by the Environmental Protection Department of the City of Jena.

Accident tree in Eisenberger Straße destroyed

©KSJ

Tree replacement plantings in recent years

Diagram of the planted trees

©KSJ

Tree planting by the KSJ on Jägerberg

©KSJ

We water 3,000 trees in public areas and approx. 500 trees from external companies.

Watering is carried out using a watering truck with a spray lance or hose and with the help of a Multicar with a hose (6 to 7 waterings per year). This corresponds to approx. 100 liters per tree per watering.

Water bags and watering rings are sometimes used. The water bags with drip drainage hold 100 liters each.

Water is drawn from the well in the KSJ courtyard and from 10 extraction points on the Saale.

Irrigation sensors are also used on numerous trees for watering.

Watering with the watering vehicle

©KSJ

The city of Jena's digital tree register documents and manages information on the city's trees in a legally secure manner.

This data forms the basis for our tree inspections and maintenance measures.

Data in the register includes

Tree species
Year of planting
Tree height
Crown diameter
Vitality
Site description
Photos
Inspection date
Injuries
Measures

Age phases of the trees

Youth phase - up to 15 years standing time

Maturity phase - 15 to approx. 50 years service life

Ageing phase - from approx. 50 years standing time

View of the Lommerweg

©KSJ

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Links

Notification of defects of the city of Jena

Tree protection statutes of the city of Jena

Application for a felling permit from the city of Jena

Our technical equipment consists of 2 aerial work platforms 22/27 m high, 1 all-wheel lift 25 m high, 3 transporters with shredder, truck with loading crane, tractor with winch, truck with casting arm, 2 electric cars for tree inspection as well as 2 electric bicycles. More and more battery-powered equipment is also being used. Chainsaws have been converted to benzene-free gasoline and partly replaced by battery-powered chainsaws. In addition, trays are used for tree inspection and, more recently, for processing the measures.

Our motivated team consists of 2 administrative staff, 5 FLL-certified tree inspectors and 10 arborists with many years of experience in tree care, tree felling and tree replacement planting. Operations using rope climbing technology are also possible.

Tree pruning is possible all year round if species protection is observed. For traffic safety reasons, deadwood removal or professional pruning (e.g. crown care or pruning for training and development) as well as dangerous felling can be carried out all year round after consultation with the specialist environmental protection service. The tree protection statutes and other regulations must also be observed here.

Information: Pruning information sheet

What are generally not sufficient reasons for tree removal?

These are Shade casting, leaf or fruit fall, blockage of the gutter, seed dispersal, pollen flight, weak branch shedding, minor damage to structures and similar occurrences that are inherent in the nature of every tree.

The duty to ensure public safety is generally the responsibility of the property owner. The owner must ensure that the tree does not pose any obvious danger. We therefore inspect the trees in our area of responsibility at regular intervals.

The owners are responsible for the road safety of private trees.

Information: Clearance profile

Damage caused by construction work

Construction activities often cause damage to trees in the root area. This results in infestation with wood-decaying fungi. These trees become a danger and require extensive care or can often only be felled.
The DIN standards DIN 18920 and regulations RAS LP-4 are intended to prevent future damage.
Damage is already caused by

driving over the root area and the associated compaction of the soil. The roots can no longer breathe and die.
Soil application - The same happens when roots are covered with soil.
Cement water can also have a poisonous effect on a tree.

It is often overlooked that the root area exceeds the size of the tree crown.

Damage often only becomes visible years later, e.g. the crown becomes thinner, the vitality of the tree decreases, more deadwood forms or the stability and resistance to breakage is no longer sufficient.
It can only be recommended to comply with the tree protection measures defined in advance and to contact the city's environmental protection department or the tree care department of the KSJ if deviations are necessary in order to determine suitable measures.
Failure to comply with these regulations can result in high compensation claims of up to 50,000 euros in accordance with the tree protection statutes of the city of Jena.

Further information: Tree protection information sheet