Latest news with #urbanforest
CTV News
4 days ago
- General
- CTV News
Neighbours accuse Toronto builder of gaming system to uproot beloved tree for parking pad
A tree stump and chopped up branches are shown after a tree was removed from a property in Toronto, in this undated handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout TORONTO — The big, backyard honey locust had a seating area set up under its canopy and a swing hanging from a sturdy branch. It was one of many trees in Leaside, a residential neighborhood northeast of downtown Toronto that is famous for its old growth and green space, but it was special, says Karen Hwang. It was nothing short of an 'oasis' for her neighbour, who liked to entertain in the backyard. It also benefited Hwang's family next door from the time they moved in 34 years ago, supplying fresh air and blocking noise pollution. 'That tree provided, you know, the wonderful shade, the beautiful esthetic,' she recalled in a recent interview. 'It just had so many positive environmental impacts.' Without the city's permission, the beloved giant was recently brought down, in a case that has sparked neighbourhood outrage and calls for change at city hall. On the morning of June 26, Hwang said she and her husband were eating breakfast while watching the news when they heard a 'big bang' and their television screen went dark. The couple rushed outside to check what happened, and they saw the tree was being cut down, and a big branch had hit their satellite dish. At the time, developer Modcity was preparing to build a fourplex and garden suite on the property after Hwang's neighbour sold her house. The city confirmed there was no permit to remove the tree before construction began. It said it has launched an investigation. The Canadian Press made several unsuccessful attempts to reach Modcity for comment, including email inquiries and a visit to a location listed on its website as the company's address. Privately owned trees with a diameter of 30 centimetres or more are protected under the city's tree protection bylaw. The diameter of the one removed was closer to 80 centimetres, according to neighbors. Kim Statham, the city's director of urban forestry, said there was an application to remove a privately owned tree in October, and city staff worked with the builder for five months to revise the multiplex's design to protect the tree. 'The revised tree-friendly multiplex design created a minor variance that was approved by the Committee of Adjustment,' Statham said. 'The honey locust tree was to remain and not be removed.' Rachel Chernos Lin, the councillor representing the area, said the intent was to protect the tree by moving the building's footprint onto the front yard closer to the street. The developer removed the tree anyway without the city's support. And to add insult to injury, Lin said, the developer applied to place a parking pad where the tree had stood. For community members, the idea of paving a little piece of paradise to put in a parking spot was a bridge too far. 'People feel like (the developer) has really taken advantage of the system and disregarded the rules, and people really care and are very angry about that,' Lin said. Currently, the offence of removing a tree without a permit can carry a fine between $500 and $100,000. It has no impact on permits issued under Ontario's Building Code. The current fine structure is not enough to disincentivize the practice, Lin said. On Thursday, city council adopted a motion Lin proposed that would make tree removal more difficult and add 'additional tools' to protect the city's tree canopy. The motion requests that the provincial Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing add the tree bylaw as an applicable law for the purposes of issuing building permits. It also suggests repeat offenders be named and shamed publicly. City staff are expected to report back about progress towards achieving these goals by the end of the year. 'I want to make sure this doesn't happen again,' said Lin. Geoff Kettel, co-president of the Leaside Residents Association, said the builder should not be able to use the revised footprint after taking out the tree that the new design was meant to protect. The supposed compromise allowed the builder to put the multiplex more than two metres closer to the sidewalk, and Kettel said neighbours' bungalows and two-storey homes are now at greater risk of being overshadowed. 'If they destroyed the reason for moving it forward in the first place, there's now no reason to move it forward,' he said. 'People should be obeying the law. They should be doing it right, following the best practices,' he added. 'It's very, very disappointing.' Last week, The Canadian Press visited the construction site, where a concrete foundation had been laid and tree roots were still visible under a pile of soil. Elizabeth Marsden and her friend Ann Aveling walked by the area and stopped to comment on the tree's unfortunate fate. 'It was a beautiful, big red locust and there are not many red locusts,' said Marsden who has lived in the neighborhood for four decades. 'It was just a lovely tree,' she said. 'I was angry. How dare they?' She said she thinks the fines given to builders for such violations are 'peanuts,' and there needs to be better enforcement. Aveling said the uprooting was 'totally unnecessary' and it made her feel sad, especially as the life cycle of many other trees in the neighbourhood is coming to a natural end. 'What drew us to Leaside 40 years ago was the trees, the tree canopy, and you'd have these beautiful shaded streets,' she said. 'Which of course we're now losing.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 26, 2025.
CBC
19-07-2025
- Health
- CBC
Dutch elm disease detected in north Edmonton as city battles deadly tree fungus
Social Sharing A devastating and highly contagious tree fungus has been detected in north Edmonton, the latest case of a deadly disease that puts Edmonton's vast canopy of urban elms under threat. In a statement this week, city officials confirmed that a new case of Dutch elm disease has been detected in Edmonton. The infected tree in the north Edmonton neighbourhood of Alberta Avenue, as well as any elms within a 20-metre radius, will be removed as part of ongoing efforts to contain the spread. The infected tree was recently spotted by city crews along the boulevard. A positive result was received from a provincial lab on Wednesday, marking the sixth confirmed case of the disease since it was first detected in Edmonton last August. The contagious fungal infection — spread by elm bark beetles and spores from infected wood — pose a major risk to other elm in the vicinity, the city said. Extensive additional testing in the area is underway. City officials have been monitoring the infection in partnership with federal officials since it was first detected in the city last summer with case numbers expected to rise. According to a statement Friday, a total of 369 elms have been removed in the city to date as part of ongoing containment efforts. The total includes two destroyed so far in Alberta Avenue. "This additional confirmed case does not change our approach as we continue assessments, removals and testing in co-ordination with the province and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency," said Mark Beare, Edmonton's director of infrastructure operations, in a statement. "While any positive test is disappointing, we remain confident that this collaborative approach is helping to limit the spread of the disease." Urban forests under threat Dutch elm disease poses a threat to all species of elm in Alberta. The fungus, caused by microfungi that infiltrate a tree and clogs its water-conducting systems, has killed millions of elms in North America over the past century and has begun to proliferate across Prairie cities. In Edmonton, the potential losses are particularly acute. The capital region is home to more than 90,000 city-owned elms, accounting for more than 22 per cent of Edmonton's urban forest canopy. The city has been bracing for years for the potential arrival of the destructive fungus as it crept west across the country, devastating urban forest canopies. An action plan, now being implemented to limit the damage, was first developed in 2020. In an effort to slow the spread, crews have been conducting routine inspections along Edmonton's tree-lined streets and boulevards, watching for signs of infection. More than 55,000 trees citywide have been assessed for signs of infection. Any elms that appear sickly – with telltale wilting yellow leaves – are tested, and trees believed to be infected are immediately destroyed. An ongoing program to remove deadwood in elms is also necessary to reduce the habitat of the beetles, which may spread the fungus, the city said. "City arborists, urban foresters and the pest management team remain vigilant as we continue implementing the established Dutch elm disease management plan, including intensified surveillance of elm trees," Beare said. The infection has to date been detected in northeast Edmonton in the Killarney and Yellowhead Corridor East neighbourhoods. Enhanced monitoring and assessments of trees within a one-kilometre radius of the infected trees remain in place, the city said. Edmontonians are encouraged to report any signs of infestation to 311. Infected trees may have dead branches or browning leaves. Their trunks may have holes or sawdust on the bark from burrowing beetles. The city is also reminding Edmontonians not to bring firewood from elsewhere, to properly prune elms during the colder seasons and properly dispose of any deadwood or clippings at the Edmonton Waste Management Centre.
BBC News
12-07-2025
- Climate
- BBC News
Heatwaves leave London's urban forest under extreme stress
London has one of the largest urban forests in the world with over 8 million trees on private and public land. But this summer they are under extreme stress due to three heatwaves and a lack of rain.A council in London has now warned people not to sit or congregate under large trees after a rise in the number of falling branches. Harrow Council says there has been an increase of sudden branch drop syndrome, which it says has been made worse by the heatwaves. And experts at the charity Trees for Cities are expecting to see an increase in trees dying or dropping branches as the climate warms. So what can be done to mitigate this? With London expecting to see higher temperatures in the future due to a warming climate, trees are seen as being hugely important for reducing carbon and pollution, while also cooling areas. The mayor of London has vowed to increase the city's tree canopy by 10% by 2050 to combat higher temperatures. But conditions are getting harder for certain native species to thrive. Trees for Cities are a charity that plant and look after trees. We recently joined a team watering young trees in Greenford, west London. Seb Herst is senior urban forest coordinator and says tree maintenance will become increasingly key."Obviously we don't want to give up on all of the native trees that we have in the UK. They support a lot of the local wildlife and species from other places won't support the same wildlife. "So it's a mix of making sure the native species we have are cared for, but also picking the same species except one that's more adapted to the changing climate. So for example taking an oak from southern France that can cope with the climate we are predicting here."He adds that "maintenance is also super important. London has very small tree pits for example, maybe we could have bigger tree pits? We have condensed soils. How can we aerate soil more so it can contain moisture and severe downpours?"Now we are seeing the climate shift so we are going to have to change how we look after trees as well." Mete Coban is the deputy mayor for environment for London. He says climate change is affecting London now."We know the heatwaves are having a huge impact on species and trees."What we need to do is continue to roll out more trees so we can be more resilient to extreme heat, and the impacts of climate change. "But also what we need to do is get the right types of trees and species and make sure we have the right infrastructure in place to protect our trees because ultimately we are going to see more and more hotter temperatures across our city. " Georgie Power is senior urban forest coordinator at the charity Trees for was taking part in the work in Greenford, watering trees and adding bark mulch around the roots to help keep the moisture in. She believes that with rising temperatures we can expect to see more trees under stress."What we think sudden branch drop syndrome is, is when trees are put under extreme heat and drought, it's something similar to self-amputation. So the trees aren't getting enough water into the branches and they're cutting off branches to preserve the rest of the tree."We can see from this summer - April, May, June - they have been absolutely roasting this summer. All the trees have been under huge amounts of pressure." Georgie adds: "We know with climate change we are going to get more increases in temperature overall, because of that we are going to get more of things like trees dying but also the sudden branch drop syndrome as well."We do have to pick different species already with climate change. A good example is with the Alder tree. At the moment, Trees for Cities is planting a lot more Italian Alder because it is more climate resilient and more resilient to droughts and flooding as opposed to the common Alder."So we are already picking trees that are going to be better suited to our climate in the very near future."
CTV News
10-07-2025
- General
- CTV News
Thousands of ladybugs released in Regina thanks to annual event
The City of Regina held its annual ladybug release on July 10, 2025. (Mick Favel/CTV News) Hundreds of children and their guardians gathered at Victoria Park for the City of Regina's annual ladybug release event Thursday. The city provided 200,000 ladybugs to attendees with the purpose of spreading the insects across Regina. The polka dot patterned bugs are known for their appetite for aphids and other garden pests. 'We want people to appreciate the insect and understand why they are an important part of our urban forest,' said Veronica Schroder, the coordinator of forestry, pest and horticulture for the city. Before the ladybugs were handed over to attendees, an education session was held to explain how and where to place the bugs. The city hopes to use the bugs in green spaces as a natural predator in green spaces instead of chemical pesticides. 'We need spaces like these in order to facilitate events that are special like this,' Mayor Chad Bachynski explained. 'We need to look after our spaces, because we need them. Our community needs them.' The ladybugs are originally from California. They were provided to residents by Natural Insect Control out of Ontario.
CTV News
04-07-2025
- General
- CTV News
Edmonton inviting residents to try ‘forest bathing'
Edmonton Watch The city is inviting residents to try 'forest bathing,' the act of connecting with our urban forest.
