Boise neighborhood
Boise Bench tree service for post-war yards
Most Bench trees went in during the decades after World War II, when the old orchards on the plateau were split into roomy lots. Those trees are big now, and a lot of our tree service on the Boise Bench is about keeping aging maples and elms safe over the house.
ZIP 83705, 83706
Local notes
The plateau above downtown
The Bench is the raised flat land south of the Boise River, bounded roughly by I-84 on the south and by the Connector, Crescent Rim Drive and Federal Way on the west, north and east. It takes in the Central Bench, the Depot Bench, Morris Hill and Vista, in ZIPs 83705 and 83706. Landmarks include the Boise Depot and Platt Gardens, Morris Hill Cemetery and Cassia Park, with Orchard Street, Overland Road and Emerald Street as main corridors.
The City’s plan for the Depot Bench mentions its notable tree canopy, and that holds across much of the Bench. You will find tall silver maples, Siberian elms, green ash, Norway maples and big pines and spruce in yards from the 1940s to the 1960s.
On the job
Typical Bench lots and the trees on them
Lots here are wider than in the North End, often with a carport or garage at the side and a big backyard tree over a patio or shed. Silver maples and Siberian elms planted for quick shade now have brittle wood and heavy ends, and wind on the open plateau finds the weak spots. Along Crescent Rim the lots drop toward the river, which adds slope and limits where wood can go.
Frequent jobs are reducing heavy limbs on mature maples, cutting back trees that have grown into service drops, and grinding old stumps to make room for a new tree or garden.
Common questions
Boise Bench tree questions
Why do Bench silver maples break so often?
They grow fast, form tight forks with included bark and have fairly weak wood. After 50 or 60 years, those forks carry a lot of weight. Pruning to shorten the long limbs helps; a cracked fork usually means removal.
Do I need a permit for tree work on the Bench?
Street trees in the planting strip need a Boise Community Forestry permit. Siberian elm is everywhere on the Bench, so it’s worth knowing that Boise City Code 7-2-9 puts every elm, even a backyard volunteer, under the same free City Forester permit.
Can you remove a tree on a Crescent Rim slope?
Yes. We work from the top of the slope and lower pieces on ropes so nothing rolls toward the house below or the street.
Talk to us about your tree
Big old maple on the Bench? Call us.
Tell us the street, the type of tree if you know it and what worries you about it.