Southern California residents planning to trim their trees this spring should consider the effects the process might have on other southland residents: California wildlife.

With spring haveing just arrived, the California Wildlife Center wants to educate the public about proper tree trimming, especially as it relates to baby tree squirrels that are often injured and orphaned by tree trimming during the months of February, March and April.

"Many people don’t know that they shouldn’t trim their trees in the spring because baby birds and squirrels nest on limbs and branches at this time of year," said Susan Eastman, executive director of center. "The best time to trim trees is in the late fall (after September) or winter, because it will be least disruptive to the wildlife at that time."

California Wildlife Center is a nonprofit organization based in Malibu that is dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation and release of sick, injured or orphaned native California wildlife. Center workers treated 269 squirrels in 2004 and more than 2,000 other animals and birds.

"It is vital that we inform residents of Southern California about proper tree trimming," Eastman said. "Babies are abandoned, nests are lost, and animals are injured or killed because people simply don’t know any better."

In addition to knowing the right times of year to trim trees, residents should also be aware that the improper tree trimming can lead to additional expenses in the future. "Topping" is an ongoing problem that is sometimes used as a quick fix for overgrown trees. Topping is the process of cutting limbs back to stubs, leaving little or no remaining foliage. In the long run, topping ends up costing residents more money to maintain the damaged trees, and it also destroys animal habitats. The center suggests that residents who must trim trees at this time ask their arborist to check for squirrel and bird nests first.

If residents find baby birds or squirrels that have been knocked from their nests or otherwise orphaned, it is important for them to wear gloves and wash their hands immediately before and after handling the animals. It is also important that residents do not give injured animals any food or water.

If the baby animal is injured and immobile, but the nest is still intact, residents should place the animal in a shallow, towel-lined box at the base of the tree and leave it undisturbed for four to six hours, so that the mother may take it back to the nest. If the nest has been destroyed, residents should call the center at (310) 458-WILD for assistance.

Additional information about tree trimming and orphaned baby animals can be found on California Wildlife Center’s website at www.californiawildlifecenter.org.