With scorching hot temperatures in the forecast, City of Chilliwack is asking residents to water trees.
In a Thursday afternoon (July 29) tweet, it was suggested that people should be looking to fill up watering bags around street trees to help maintain Chilliwack’s ‘urban forest.’
According to the urban forest webpage at chilliwack.com, City crews have been busy watering hundreds of recently planted street trees as often as possible. But it may not be enough with the temperature expected to hit 37C on Friday (July 30).
“The tree bags are designed to slowly release water allowing for absorption deeper into the soil where the roots need it most,” the webpage explained. “If in doubt, scratch the surface of the soil to see if it is moist a few centimeters down. If dry, filling up the bag would be a positive way to help our urban forest withstand this heat.
“In contrast, sprinklers often only hydrate the upper level of soil and are not efficient for reaching a tree’s roots beneath.”
The webpage recommends not using sprinklers for this purpose, and following all watering restrictions.
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