Weston's Landscaping Department oversees the installation and maintenance of all the landscaping located on public property, including rights of way, berms, medians, swales and parks.

Tree Inventory

The benefits of trees to a community are more than just providing shade and enhancing the look of the area.  Trees reduce air pollution, cool the air and aid in reducing surface runoff, one of the main causes of water pollution.

The City of Weston underwent a tree inventory in 2016, which assessed the vegetation structure, function and value of the trees and shrubs that are located on City property, such as parks, facilities, swales and right of ways.  The data from 34,573 trees were analyzed using the i-Tree Eco model developed by the U.S. Forest Service, Northern Research Station.  The tree inventory helps the City identify the value of the urban canopy in terms of replacement (structural value), as well as the functional values that the urban forest accomplishes in Weston.  Areas such as air pollution removal, carbon storage and sequestration, oxygen production, reduction of surface runoff were analyzed.

The tree canopy is a wise infrastructure investment for cities, as governments look to find ways to prevent climate change and improve public health. 

Weston's Trees by the Numbers*

• 34,573 Trees
• 238.45 Acres of Tree Canopy
• 4,936 Ficus Benjamina Trees
• 4,993 Ficus microcarpa Trees
• 38% are Trees Native to Florida
• 6.741 Tons of Air Pollution Eliminated Annually
• 1,100 Tons of Oxygen Produced Annually
• $23.7 Million Structural (Replacement) Value
• 12 of 104 Species are Identified as Invasive
• Reduced Surface Runoff (which contributes to pollution of waterways) by 966,000 cubic feet/year

*Data and estimated values based on iTree Eco methodology (2016)

The City's current tree inventory is approximately 42,393 trees. 

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City Landscape Irrigation

With a strong focus on water conservation, over 60% of new plant materials installed are native plants and 20% true xeriscape materials, all requiring substantially less water than non-native plants.  The conservation of water saves money and assists the environment.

Why do I see areas of city property being watered during the day?

The City uses water from its canals and lakes for irrigation, not potable (drinking) water.  The City can only run each irrigation zone twice per week, consistent with the water conservation measures in place in Broward County.  In City rights of way alone (such as medians and berms), there are 109 clocks with an average of 20 zones each, for a total of 2,075 zones turning on only one time during a two-day cycle.  Efforts are made to water the front side of berms and anything affecting roadways and sidewalks up until 7:00 AM and to water the backsides of berms and areas that do not affect roadways or sidewalks between 7:00 AM and 10:00 AM.

Rain Sensors

There are 88 rain sensors on irrigation clocks throughout the City, which will automatically shut down the clocks if they detect more than a ¼" of rain in a three-day period.  The sensors are checked monthly to ensure they are in working order.

Maintenance Checks

The City is allowed to run each zone for 10 minutes per week in order to do maintenance checks.  This is the major cause of phone inquiries from the public, as these maintenance checks can be done anytime during working hours, usually between 7:00 AM and 4:00 PM.

New Landscaping

Plant materials can be watered every day except Friday for the first 30 days, and on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday for new plants in the ground 31 to 60 days.  If more than 50% of an irrigation zone is new material, it can be watered daily before 10:00 AM and after 4:00 PM, except Friday.

Learn more about information on landscape irrigation guidelines in Broward County