The Town of The Blue Mountains (TBM) council has approved $250,000 for tree protection measures as part of the Thornbury West Reconstruction Project.
The $12.2 million dollar project will replace aging municipal infrastructure in one of Thornbury’s older neighbourhoods, some of which includes replacing and/or extending sections of sidewalk, widening pavement to allow for better on-street parking, and replacing water mains.
The area to undergo construction includes Victoria St. S., Elmer St. S., Alice St. W., Louisa St. W., Lorne St., and Park Ln.
An arborist’s report from 2021 previously recommended the removal of up to 141 of the neighbourhood’s 262 trees due to their encroachment upon the town’s plans, or their likelihood of sustaining damage as a result of the work.
On Mar. 14, council agreed to segregate $250,000 from the project’s existing contingency fund for use in construction methods that could preserve up to 60 of the 141 trees recommended for removal.
One proposed method involves exposing tree roots that encroach upon the construction site, at which point an arborist assesses the roots and determines whether or not they may be removed without significantly damaging the tree.
If all is well, the roots are removed and the tree is preserved.
Staff estimate a cost of $3,000-$3,500 per preserved tree, for an expected total cost of $180,000-$210,000.
Concerns about tree preservation with regard to the reconstruction project date back to Dec. 2021, where residents expressed concerns at a public meeting, and Betty Muise, from TBM Tree Trust, gave a presentation calling for additional tree preservation to council.
Muise’s presentation highlighted the carbon sequestration capabilities of older trees, stating that they can sequester up to 10 times more carbon than a two-inch caliper replacement tree on an annual basis.
“There was very extensive community concern over tree loss, and the dramatic change to the neighbourhood aesthetic and the natural systems, and it was one of the largest concerns [at the public meeting],” said Muise at council on Mar. 14. “I would like to acknowledge and thank staff [for] a very important and comprehensive effort that attempted to respond to community concerns.”
Although the town expects to preserve up to 60 trees with the additional funding, there will still be several trees cut down.
The town expects significant tree loss on Louisa Street, between Bruce Street and Elma Street, due to reconstruction of the road and widening it for parking stalls and a trench for the installation of a new sanitary sewer.
The town plans to replace the trees that are cut down with two-inch caliper nursery trees, placed on both sides of the road at an average interval of 16 metres.