First Gore Park ash trees fall for makeover

theSpec.com
July 7, 2014
Matthew Van Dongen

The ash trees now falling in Gore Park are the first of more than 60 facing the axe over the next decade — but the city hopes to delay the inevitable as long as possible.

The sound of chainsaws in the park these days is mostly due to the first, $2.3-million phase of a Gore Park makeover that will reorient and refurbish the Cenotaph, salvage damaged underground utilities and make the John-to-Hughson block pedestrian-friendly.

That phase requires six ash and five other trees to come down now, either to accommodate the new memorial and changing pedestrian landscape or because they're planted too close to aging utilities that will be relocated, said project head Le' Ann Seely. On the upside, 14 new young trees such as lindens and lilacs will replace them.

Another six ash will be replaced in 2016 around the storied Gore fountain and 21 are expected to come down near the Connaught after 2018 — although that plan is subject to change depending on evolving development requirements.

The aim of the project is to replace almost every tree cut in the park, even if they're not in their original spots, said Seely. "The end result will be a more diverse canopy that is not as prone to disease."

In the long term, however, most ash trees in the park — and across the city — are living on borrowed time thanks to the Emerald Ash Borer, said forestry manager Mike McNamara.

The invasive beetles have been found in the Gore, he said, and forestry workers have removed several sickly ash since a citywide management plan was approved in late 2012. Replanting with various native species is scheduled for the fall.

But McNamara said unless park trees start dying en masse, the plan is to only remove a handful of them a year. Similarly, the plan across the city is to remove 10 per cent of the 23,000 street and park ash each year over a decade.

At least 11 particularly hale ash trees have been injected with a pesticide — at a cost of $3,000 every two years — in the hopes of staving off death by beetle.

"We're trying to save (the canopy) for as long as possible," he said, but added "half-dead" trees — of any variety — will be axed quickly because of the danger to pedestrians and vehicle traffic.

Overall, Seely expects to see a higher number of trees in the park blocks between James and John streets over the next three years, about 95 compared to the 90 standing now. But she conceded replants will require decades to replace 30-year-old canopy cover.

The bald spot will be particularly pronounced if invasive beetles have their way with the Gore fountain block, which boasts 43 ash of the 55 trees in total.

McNamara noted many of those trees were planted too close together to stay healthy, even without the ash borer.

That mistake won't be repeated, he said.