Ann Arbor says residents don't need to worry about chopping up fallen tree branches following storm

"We are chipping all of the woody debris and it's actually much more expedient for us to chip one medium/large branch than a bunch of cut-up smaller branches," said Kerry Gray, the city's urban forestry and natural resources planner.

Gray said residents should place any tree branches, limbs or woody debris in the extension between the sidewalk and the curb, being careful not to block or intrude on the sidewalk or street.

If there is a tree branch blocking the sidewalk or street, residents are encouraged to contact the forestry department at 734-794-6364.

Ann Arbor officials announced plans for dealing with downed trees and branches on Wednesday after more than 7 inches of heavy snow tore the limbs off many neighborhood trees, and in some cases took trees down entirely.

City officials said residents can store storm-damaged tree limbs on their lawn extension — but not in the street — for future city collection. The initial plan is to provide two citywide passes to collect tree branches from extensions, with the first pass to start the middle of next week.

Residents can keep informed of the tree branch-collection plan by subscribing to updates via the city's e-notification service. Go to www.a2gov.org/subscribe, click on the red envelope icon, and select the "news" and "snow removal" topics from the subscription menu.

At least 10 trees came down overnight and city officials said those were removed by 7 a.m. Forestry crews were brought in overnight to address the volume of tree-related issues, giving priority to downed tree limbs obstructing traffic and plowing operations. Outside contractors also were deployed to assist with the city's tree-related issues.

City officials said neighborhoods with old, mature trees appear to be hardest hit, especially in the Burns Park and Arbor Hills area, but downed limbs are being reported across the city.

The city also is asking drivers to move their vehicles from neighborhood streets until the weekend to allow the city to effectively clear snow and debris.