Park board hoping to grow tree initiative

The five ginkgo trees Torrie Groening planted after last year’s Vancouver park board tree sale have become a conversation starter in her little corner of Strathcona.

“What’s nice about it is I’ve met different neighbours, and people are really positive about it. As soon as they see you planting, we’re getting all kinds of positive comments,” she said.

She’s planning to buy more greenery to fill her yard during this year’s sale, which marks the first ever Vancouver Tree Week, April 2-10. Twenty-two varieties, including everything from fig to magnolia to maple and oak, are on sale for $10 — a big discount from the usual retail price of about $75 each.

“Anyone I’ve talked to about this program is so keen. I think it’s a runaway success,” Groening said.

The park board is hoping to get thousands in the weeks after the tree sale in an effort to replace some of the greenery that has been lost to development. Since 1995, the tree canopy over Vancouver has dropped from covering 22 per cent of the city to just 18 per cent.

“For what’s supposed to be a very green city, that’s a concerning stat for me,” said park board chairperson Sarah Kirby-Yung.

Online tree sales have been underway for a week and close to 3,000 trees have been sold so far. Only a few are still available on the website, but a limited quantity of trees will be available to buy during in-person sales on Saturday at Hillcrest Centre and on April 10 at the Trout Lake Community Centre.