MPP Paul Calandra vows to fight to save oldest tree in Stouffville

The American elm is located on the site of the planned Lincolnville GO expansion site.

Yorkregion.com
Oct. 28, 2019
Simon Martin

One of the oldest trees in Stouffville is getting a high-profile defender.

Markham-Stouffville MPP Paul Calandra has promised to fight to save the oldest tree in Markham-Stouffville, which has been put at risk by the planned improvements to the Lincolnville GO Station.

The Tree is approximately 170 to 200 years old. In the estimation of professional arborists, it may be the largest and the oldest tree in Whitchurch-Stouffville.

“I understand that improved transit is one of the highest priorities of constituents in our riding,” Calandra said. “I believe we can see these improvements happen without cutting down the oldest and most significant tree in our community, if we work together as a team to create a plan that takes the tree into consideration.”

The tree is located at the corner of Tenth Line south of Bethesda Rd, in the corner property designated for expansion of the GO Station.

“My office has contacted Metrolinx and requested a meeting to discuss how we can improve transit and save the tree. I think it is possible and desirable to do both things, and I am working in an attempt to do so,” Calandra said.

According to arborists who have examined the tree, it has been documented by the Arboretum at Guelph University, which has on record the position, condition and size of the tree. The Arboretum, through the Elm Recovery Program (ERP), looks at these large American Elms to see how resistant to Dutch Elm Disease they are. ERP looks to these old surviving trees for collection of seeds and genetic cellular regeneration to save the species into the future.

“We are told that there are not many left in Ontario, and these types of trees are needed to further the recovery of true American Elms,” Calandra said.

Earlier this summer, there was a large outpouring of public support for the tree after an article in the Stouffville Sun-Tribune. Stouffville arborist Mark Carroll said the 200-year-old tree is one of the largest and oldest in the community. The tree is 40 metres tall, with a canopy 40 metres wide and a four-metre trunk circumference.

At the time of the article, Metrolinx said they were working with environmental consultants to carry out a feasibility study that will advise on all possible options to save the tree.

Carroll said that most of the elm trees in the area were destroyed by Dutch elm disease which wreaked havoc on the species in the 1970s and 1980s.

“There are not many left in Ontario, and we need these types of trees to further the recovery of true American elms,” he said. “It’s such a great healthy tree, it would be a shame to lose this one.”

There is some precedence for Metrolinx taking extraordinary measures to preserve trees during construction. Earlier this year, the contractor building the new Rutherford GO Station in Vaughan arranged to move 16 trees away from the construction zone and into two parks in Vaughan.

That work, performed Aug. 9, was a huge success, Metrolinx said.