Falling into place
City educates public, gets feedback on using the trees that came down in Fiona
An open house has offered insight on how people can salvage downed wood left behind on their properties following post-tropical storm Fiona.
“Really what we’re trying to do is create a space for people to come together and talk about the trees that have been lost and how they feel about trees,” Katrina Cristall, climate action officer with the city, told Saltwire Network at the event, which was held at the Charlottetown Public Library on Nov. 16.
Hosted by the city of Charlottetown, it featured several booths desgiend to educate and get feedback from the public on the Residential Property Clean-up Program and how the wood can be used for artistic or practical purposes.
About 5,000 city-owned trees came down during Fiona, Sept. 23-24, including many large old-growth elm and oak trees.
With the high abundance of valuable and increasingly rare wood now available, the city is looking at several different options on how to use it, including public infrastructure and art fixtures.
Simon Wilmot, program co-ordinator for Environment and Sustainability in Charlottetown, attended the event and told Saltwire Network part of the objective was to educate people about the Residential Tree Cleanup Program because it is an usual program.
“We don’t normally go onto people’s private lands and help them with trees,” said Wilmot. “This is something that we’re doing now and is available for a limited time and people can still sign up for that.”
The program is a partnership between the city and the provincial department of Fisheries and Communities to assist the public in pruning and cleanup of tree damage and debris caused by Fiona.
It covers uninsurable losses and damage to residential properties. This includes trees fallen in yards, damaged trees at risk of falling and basic debris clean-up on private property in the city.
It doesn’t cover fallen trees or debris on homes or vehicles, as these are considered insurable losses. Homeowners and business owners are responsible for contacting insurance companies, and the program doesn't cover the removal of tree stumps. It also does not cover damage to businesses and not-for-profit organizations, as well as aesthetic work on private properties, such as pruning and landscape work.
“We’re really talking about what are the opportunities and how people can deal with the damage from downed trees. We have large amounts of highquality wood that aren’t normally available; some of that wood can be put to uses,” said Wilmot.
Brodye Chappell, a wood worker and sawyer in Charlottetown, told Saltwire Network at the event he is excited the city has taken on this initiative.
“A lot of people think, ‘just take it to the dump, and it becomes mulch,’ but there is so much potential for it from heirloom furniture to art,” said Chappell.
“Sky is the limit what you can do with this stuff,” he said.
Over the years, Charlottetown has lost dozens of its old growth elm trees to Dutch elm disease. As a result, it has become a more difficult wood to acquire in the province.
“It would just break my heart if they got rid of this stuff so I’m kind of glad they took initiative and really wanted to do something as far as salvaging everything,” said Chappell, who has been involved in the cleanup effort, helping the city mulch and dry the wood collected around town from the Fiona.
He said he looks forward to seeing how the elm and oak wood will be used once it’s been properly dried and sorted.
“I’m curious to see what the city wants to do on their side, as far as what they need and what the community needs,” he said.
“I’m just really stoked either way.” Charlottetown residents can report storm-related damaged trees online using the online form on the city website or by phone at 902-629-2594 during regular business hours.