Another suggestion-develop a list of friends you may know who want firewood, or maybe someone with a natural yard who will use the limbs in their landscaping. Last winters ice storm limbs were re-purposed into an attractive retaining wall in a yard in my neighborhood. Check out the community garden at Pine and W Saginaw. Someone there has artfully re-purposed downed limbs.

That's not what the city said when I called. They told me that the Parks Department handles trees that fall into the street as long as they are the city's trees - that is, they grow in the space between the sidewalk and the street. I cannot believe that the city attorney told you that residents are required to pick up trees or any debris from the streets. Next thing you know we will be required to clean up auto accidents and plow or own streets when it snows.

If someone wants them they can come and get them. They are not on my property. Perhaps the best thing to do would be to drag them back out into the street and see what happens.

Hi BobL, Sorry if I wasn't clear about my discussion w the city attorney. He stated property owners are responsible for limbs n leaves on city owned berm between the street and sidewalk. It's probably been a standard rule for years and I just didn't know. He was a neighbor and I trusted his advice.
On a different occasion I called city hall about a neighbors overfilled trash bin on a day the wind was blowing items from it down the street. I was told by city staff that if the litter blew onto my property I was responsible to clean it up and returning it to the neighbors bin could be considered as littering on my part?? I try to get needed info to straighten out questions and always appreciate when a city staffer shares info on this site. Being informed is an efficient tool.
I hesitate to comment on the idea of returning limbs to the street...I can speculate that if I did that in my neighborhood the limbs would next be found on my porch, having been placed there by an irate neighbor. I once, with permission placed a bag of my own household trash in a neighbors blue bin. (I had just the one and it didn't make sense to put my cart out) I noticed a short time later that this bag had been removed from the neighbors bin, torn open, and the contents mixed in and around the contents of my curbside recycle bin. An anonymous neighbor had decided to step in and provide assistance where it wasn't needed. I later told the neighbor who'd allowed me to use his bin. We both just shook our heads. You never know what someone else may make of your actions. Good luck with the limbs.

And Bob thanks for the tip on parks department and limbs! Saves everybody time in their workday to know these things.

Hi Jan - after last winter's ice storm some limbs from the same tree fell into the street covering about half the available width. Then it snowed heavily before they could be removed so the limbs were in the street until the city came around in the spring causing a hazard for months. This time I got out my chain saw and cut up the main limb which was about 20 feet long into smaller lengths that I could move and dragged them onto the grass next to the street. That's where the city normally picks up brush and other debris and where the driver wrote out a tag saying that the limbs had to be in 4-foot lengths. I wonder now if I had left them in the street if the city might have picked them up by now.

Good news! The city came around today and brought their chipper and picked up branches from all over the neighborhood!

Thanks for fixing this issue!

Good to hear this Bob! You reported this on 9/9 and on 9/11 it was taken care of. Your communication is another good example of how well this site can be used between residents and city services. [ No, I'm not connected in any way to this site or city services other than being a Lansing resident ;) ] Cheers!