Spring is definitely here this week. Warm temperatures have many residents out dethatching their lawns, sweeping up sand from thefronts of their properties and working in flower beds and gardens. Spring flowers are beginning to bloom with crocus, daffodils and tulipsall taking in the sunlight. Most trees are budding — getting ready to produce leaves; and so the cycle of life continues.
This had me thinking about the significance of trees. We all know that trees are vital to our survival. As the biggest plants on the planet,they give us oxygen, store carbon, stabilize the soil and give life to the world’s wildlife. They also provide us with the materials for toolsand shelter. Trees are great — however if you plant the wrong ones within your city they can damage vital infrastructure, causingthousands of dollars of damage each year which overtime can have a significate impact on the city’s bottom-line.
So you might be thinking, “Why should I care about trees in Castlegar?”. To me the obvious reason is we just feel better in greenerenvironments. Trees also provide for a cleaner environment, a place for birds and wildlife to live/hide in, increase tourism whichtranslates to increased business revenues, provide you with higher property values, enhanced walking and cycling paths and mostimportantly increased community pride.
The city introduced its Street Tree Master Plan (STMP) back in 2015 to its residents as council choose to make the planting and care oftrees along its busy highway corridor, in key gateway areas, parking lots and in residential neighbourhoods a high priority.
So with the assistance of McElhanney Consulting Services Ltd. an inventory of existing street trees in Castlegar showed that approximatelyone-third of the downtown street trees are in fair to very poor condition, are very small in diameter and that red maples, lindens andhoney locust comprised almost 90 % of the tree species that have been planted. All you have to do is take a walk along the streetsyourself and you can notice that not all trees are in the best condition.
The overall goal of the master plan is to achieve a greater diversity of the species that includes larger, long lived canopy trees. Throughcareful research, the plan outlines those trees that are hardy to Castlegar’s climate, can tolerant drought-like conditions, are attractive inall seasons and are suitable to be used as street trees in terms of size, form and maintenance needs.
The plan basically has four objectives:
1. To define neighbour
hoods and enhance streetscapes and gateways using trees
2. Identify suitable tree species for various areas and site conditions
3. Recommend effective planting and maintenance practices
4. Address infrastructure conflicts in both existing and proposed plantings
So the next time you walk by a tree — think about its origin, its living conditions and how vital they are for mankind’s existence. I knowthat I appreciate our maple trees in the summer when they are fully loaded with leaves as they provide much needed shade to our housewhen temperatures soar. They also provide many varieties of birds and wildlife a home throughout the year. In the fall, I have a love/haterelationship with those same maple trees as they produce so many falling leaves that it takes us a couple of weeks to rake up the leaves.But overtime, I have come to love our trees because they do so much for us and only expect a little nourishment and love in return.
With the guidance of this master plan, the City of Castlegar is hoping to create a legacy for future generations consisting of a healthy,attractive, colourful, and manageable street tree population. However, investment is needed over time to ensure trees thrive to maturity,and this master plan presents best practices for selection, planting, and maintenance to maximize the return on that investment. To findout more about the plan visit to castlegar.ca.
