Budgeting for Tree Maintenance

Sounds very nice! I can't answer your question cuz I'm an urban dweller. But with such valuable mature trees, many HOAs will add them to their reserves schedule so that you have funds to replace them as they reach the ends of their lives.

I think you will hear from others who can assist you.

I don't think our tree budget was that high (we also have a lot of trees and have begun cutting down some of them as they're at their 40 year lifespan), but one thing you might want to do first is hire an arborist (get a certified one) to do a sort of tree audit. He or she can survey the grounds to answer questions like: how many trees do you have, how old are they, are any diseased, do any pose a threat to other parts of the common area (e.g. a large tree branch overlooking the clubhouse roof may pose a big problem if the tree's already half dead)and so on. The arborist can help you come up with a plan to care for the trees properly and then you can work with your reserve specialist to figure out how the money will fit into reserves.

I love your plans! We had a tree issue that was awful to deal with. Planning would have been great! We had an certified arborist come and do a tree audit. Unfortunately, we could not afford all the work. We ended up taking out a few Bradford pears, trim some larger tree over a house, and remove one big tree. The Southern pines were determined to be infected with a pine beetle. However, it would cost over $2K to remove a tree. Something we would have to create a reserve fund or long term budget for.

Just to make sure to know the importance of having a good tree trimming program... My last week as President, we had one of those beetle infested pine trees fall. It had been frozen and we suffered a quick thaw. Which caused the tree to crack. It fell into the house next door and fence. The owner that the tree belonged did not have insurance. The owner that suffered the damages did. So it became an insurance battle issue between the owners. The HOA insurance had to be contacted. We ended up having to fork out over $1500 to clean up the tree and remove the debris. It was less than our deductible so we did not have to make a full claim.

It is important to check with your insurance company what would happen if a tree would to fall. Who pays what? Are they on common property or were they planted by the owner with approval? Before a tree falls, and the owner comes knocking. Make sure to establish the policy on fallen trees...

30 year old townhouse community.

Hired arborist 3 years ago. Tagged trees.

Reduced tree inventory around 25% over last 3 years. Spent around $20k out of $225k budget each year for pruning and removals.

Created 15' perimeter rule. Any tree removals that are beyond 15' of footprint of a house and deck are at HOA expense.
Anything within 15' is shared expense with individual HOs.

Will start planting trees this year. Expect to spend around $5k for new trees and $5k for pruning/removals. $10k per year will probably be our ongoing expense. 5% (including new plantings).

Here in NC, for bulk tree trimming - $200 to $250 is a market price per tree. You can negotiate lower fees, somewhat, by having a massive job conducted at one time as opposed to repeated visits over a year. My tree vendor clearly tells me the "cost" of the cutting is in hauling the equipment and human workers to a job site. Tree trimming is rather efficient, otherwise.