Council warned of 'catastrophic failure' risk in Queen Street trees
The $2 million sought to replace remaining trees on Queen Street includes an allowance for street furniture.

sootoday.com
Feb. 24, 2016
By David Helwig

Sault Ste. Marie City Council will be asked to allow $2 million in its upcoming budget deliberations to replace ailing ash trees downtown.

"The majority of trees along the Queen Street commercial corridor between Bruce and East Street have been devastated by the emerald ash borer," says Stephen Turco, a city planner, in a report to Mayor Christian Provenzano and councillors.

"Over the next two years, or sooner, all of the ash trees will need to be removed, as once the tree is infested, they are susceptible to a catastrophic failure. While they may appear healthy, they are structurally weak and may break up in a weather event," Turco warns.

The $2 million that will be asked for in this year's budget talks includes an allowance for street furnishings.

Another $1.2 million will be sought to place pedestrian scale lighting along all of Queen Street downtown.

The lighting from Dennis to Bruce was originally included in that block's recent tree replacement program but was eliminated for budget reasons.

In addition to the ash-tree problem, a number of other tree species planted on Queen Street between Gore and Dennis and between East and Pim are not thriving and need to be replaced, Turco says.

On Queen between Dennis and Bruce, the city has recently planted a variety of tree species that are more tolerant of urban conditions.

Those trees were planted in root trenches, designed to let tree roots spread within uncompacted soil.

That project has identified successful species and planting strategies that can be applied to the rest of Queen Street, Turco said.

The city has determined that the previously used planter boxes are not appropriate for trees, obstruct service vehicles and prevent sidewalks from being used as patio space or for outdoor displays.

Instead of using planters, future trees will be planted in root trenching systems or, when space is limited, using tree grates with a soil structure system that provides sufficient soil volumes.

Turco is asking that all remaining downtown trees be replaced over the next three years.