City’s rough streets getting a little easier for trees
Cities are beginning to recognize street foliage as a valuable investment and work to boost the longevity of trees fighting to survive.

TheStar.com
Nov. 5, 2015
Noor Javed

Kentucky coffee trees line the road along Highway 7 and East Beaver Creek Rd., with the simple goal of growing into large majestic trees their planters would be proud of.

But a glance at many tree-lined sidewalks across the GTA will tell you that for trees, mere survival on the streets is no easy feat. Every day thousands of buses, cars and trucks pass by, exposing them to harsh conditions that make their long-term viability difficult and, until recently, almost an anomaly.

But there may be hope for the trees. Across the GTA, municipalities are realizing that trees are more than just another part of the streetscape that can be installed and then ignored. Street trees are finally being seen as an investment that must be taken care of, financially and physically, consistently and carefully, to reap returns.

“When it comes to trees, you are not talking about light poles or fire hydrants … you are talking about a living entity,” said Ian Buchanan, manager of natural heritage and forestry for York Region, which has seen a dramatic improvement in tree health over the past decade.

“Planting trees and nurturing them through their establishment period, and ensuring that they grow decade after decade, is a type of science that takes some time to get right,” said Buchanan.

There are about 43,000 street trees in York Region, and each has a replacement value of around $560 per tree.

According to the report presented to council last month, the health of street trees in York has improved almost four-fold. In 2003, only 23 per cent of trees had good health, while in 2015, the number jumped to 84 per cent. The goal is to get that number to 90 per cent.

A 2011 City of Toronto report called Every Tree Counts classified 49 per cent of street trees as being in good health. But back in 2004, the city was replacing as many trees as it was planting.

What has changed? Pretty much everything, from watering practices to pruning frequency, soil volume and quality, soil trench technologies, and the type of trees planted. Many municipalities have also created databases to track the progress of their trees.

The data shows that trees are sensitive. In York Region, listed factors include:

• Poor root development and function as a result of boulevard soil conditions (quantity and quality; physical, chemical and biological).
• Negative impact of planting trees close to edge of roadway.
• Drying or scalding because of winter winds on open sites.

The problems change, depending on where a tree is planted. But beyond the harsh environment, a tree’s biggest hindrance to survival is urbanization itself.

Construction zones are especially hazardous to trees. A report called Sustaining and Expanding the Urban Forest: Toronto’s Strategic Forest Management Plan 2012-2022, found downtown trees face particular challenges in settling their roots with buildings so close together, and have less space in which the tree crown can spread and develop. They face conflicts with utilities and other infrastructure below ground, and suffer from high salt levels in the soil because of salt used on roads in the winter. Urbanization also contributes to erosion of soil due to increased run-off.

“A street tree is a long-term commitment for any community,” said Buchanan. “It’s no longer just that you plant them in the ground and walk away; you treat them as an asset, you manage them as an asset … and you pay attention to them, because it is only the asset we are investing in that really appreciates.”