As Portland’s city arborist, Jeff Tarling has overseen the planting of thousands of trees, built nearly a dozen community gardens, visited schools across the city and led the cleanup after major storms.

But after 34 years working for the city, Tarling, 67, is preparing to retire at the end of the month.

“I think it’s time for a little change,” said Tarling in an interview Tuesday at his office on Canco Road. “At one point you think you can keep going for a long time, but then you think, ‘Maybe there are other things you could do.’ Thirty-four years is a long time.”

Tarling oversees management of city trees and horticulture at parks, playgrounds, schools and other public property. He manages 27 employees and also reviews site plans from a landscaping perspective.

It’s unclear exactly how many municipalities in Maine have arborists on staff, but Tarling said many larger communities, including South Portland, Westbrook, Bangor and Bath, also have dedicated arborists.

Tarling earns a salary of $86,405 and the city expects to start advertising for his replacement in the next few weeks. For now, city officials said Tuesday, his hard work and extensive knowledge will be sorely missed.

“Jeff is one of the most dedicated employees I think I’ve ever come into contact here with the city of Portland,” said Ethan Hipple, the city’s director of parks, recreation and facilities.

He said it’s common to find Tarling working early or late inspecting trees or picking up work after other employees have clocked out. He also does many things people don’t realize are part of his job, like overseeing the city’s winter sidewalk maintenance.

“He’s contributed in so many ways that are often unseen by the public, but it’s made a huge difference for the city of Portland,” Hipple said.

The City Council is expected to recognize Tarling and his years of service at its meeting Wednesday. In an email Tuesday, Mayor Kate Snyder said she has known Tarling since about 2006, when he was advising the then-Nathan Clifford School community on renovations to a playground and field behind the school.

“The city of Portland has been so fortunate to have Jeff Tarling, tree expert, as our arborist for so many years,” Snyder said. “Not only is he a content area expert, he is a historian for our city’s natural landscape and investments.”

Tarling, who grew up and lives in South Portland, loved trees and nature from a young age. He studied environmental science at the University of Southern Maine, then went to work for the city of South Portland as a golf course manager and park planner for eight years.

When he first came to work for the city of Portland, in Jan. 1989, Tarling was in awe of the natural landscape. He recalled driving through Deering Oaks thinking, “I have to take care of these trees and make sure we can pass them on.”

There have been major storms – such as the ice storm of 1998 – during which Tarling worked with forestry crews to respond and clean up damage, and challenges presented by pests like the hemlock woolly adelgid, browntail moth and emerald ash borer that have threatened some of the city’s most beloved trees.

And there are the daily difficulties of caring for trees in an urban environment, where road salt, vandalism, soil compaction and other parts of city life threaten longevity. The city typically plants 150 to 200 new trees each year to make up for those lost to storm damage, insects and other causes, and Tarling oversees the planning and planting.

In 2007, using grant funding, his staff started an inventory of all of the nearly 20,000 trees in public parks and on right-of-ways to improve knowledge of the city’s resources and how to better manage them.

He also worked with Oakhurst Dairy and the Rotary Club of Portland to establish a trust to fund tree plantings and helped the city establish a network of community gardens, orchards and urban meadows.

In Deering Oaks, Tarling transformed the Rose Circle from a high-maintenance rose garden treated with pesticides and fertilizers to one that’s more environmentally-friendly and sustainable, said Anne Pringle, a former city councilor and mayor and president of the Friends of Deering Oaks, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving and protecting the park.

“In a nutshell, he’s been a tremendous resource because of the knowledge he’s built up, and he’s very willing to share it,” Pringle said.

One of the most rewarding parts of the job is public education, especially when it involves children and schools, which Tarling has visited many times over the years. “You meet these kids and it’s really neat to advocate and prepare them to take over our role, even at an early age, and stimulate that interest in the environment,” he said.

In retirement, Tarling plans to pursue some of his favorite outdoor hobbies including skiing, biking and sailing. And he’ll likely be spending more time enjoying the view of Casco Bay from under the shade of his favorite tree – a majestic 150-year-old sugar maple on the Fort Allen Park end of the Eastern Prom.

Tarling came to love the tree and its brilliant fall colors years ago, though he eventually became worried that its health might be in decline. So when the Rotary Club offered to give him a tree to plant anywhere around the city, he chose a second, smaller sugar maple to plant a short distance away.

Tarling said a concerned resident on Munjoy Hill then called him to complain that someone had planted a small tree next to their favorite tree. He laughed as he recalled the complaint this week and how it serves as a reminder of how much Portland residents love and want to protect their trees.

“I think about that sometimes,” Tarling said. “It’s more than just Jeff taking care of the trees. It’s a community. The fact someone else liked that same tree is kind of funny. I think we all have a favorite tree somewhere.”

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