Rough start for trees
GILBERT NGABO STAFF REPORTER It’s been a rather rough start for part of the green revitalization process for Toronto’s waterfront.
More than 150 trees that were initially planted along Queens Quay have failed to grow and thrive. And after a comprehensive review undertaken by Waterfront Toronto along with the city’s urban forestry division, those trees will be replaced, starting next week.
The majority of trees that will be replaced are on the South Side of Queens Quay West, between Bay St. and Yo Yo Ma Lane. Waterfront Toronto says it has been closely monitoring the growth of these trees since they were planted in 2015, but has been caught off guard by the speed at which many of them failed to grow.
In a notice posted on its website Friday, the group said many factors contributed to this failure, including harsh winter conditions and road salt.
“Cold and damp weather has encouraged the growth of a fungal disease that causes the sycamore trees on the south side of Queens Quay to lose their first set of leaves and twig sprouts in the spring,” reads the notice, adding it also caused tree limbs to die as well as stagnant leaf growth.
“Excessive levels of road salt in the tree planting soil have also provided a challenge to the trees.”
The notice says 154 trees total will need to replaced — 135 trees along the south side of Queens Quay, and 19 trees along the north side. They will be replaced with different species, including Princeton elm, Valley Forge elm, Skyline honey locust and Marmo maple. Last June, Christopher McKinnon, a manager with Waterfront Toronto, told the Star that all the dead trees were under warranty and would be replaced at no cost to taxpayers.
“While it is normal for a percentage of newly planted trees to fail, the rate of failure we’re seeing on the south side of Queens Quay is higher than we typically see,” he said at the time. The replanting period — scheduled for Oct. 22 to Nov. 16 — will affect the cycling network on Martin Goodman Trail.
Cyclists will be required to merge into the pedestrian trail during that time frame.
Speaking generally, Janet McKay, executive director of LEAF (Local Enhancement & Appreciation of Trees), a Toronto non-profit organization for the protection of urban forestry, said trees in an urban environment face many stresses that may contribute to their failure to grow.
In a city like Toronto, especially in the downtown core, the tree canopy is “in competition” with other things such as underground utilities and paved surfaces, she said.
“The basic things that trees need to thrive are healthy soil, water and oxygen in that soil,” she said, noting the way cities’ infrastructure has been designed can contribute to the failure of tree growth.
“If the trees are in the pits and there’s a lot of road salt or sidewalk salt that pool in there, that can definitely be fatal.”
Apart from weather conditions, McKay said infectious diseases, physical damage and vandalism can also be a challenge for trees, as is the transplant process.
“Trees undergo such stress when they’re transplanted. Usually they’re growing in a nursery in a field, and when they’re dug to be moved, they can lose up to 90 per cent of their root mass in that process,” she said.
“The larger the tree when you transplant it, the more the shock.”