Protecting Calgary's Urban Forest

They’re tall, dark and handsome and provide big benefits for people who live in the city.  Trees aren’t just good looking, they’re good for us.

Trees in Calgary

When Calgary was in its infancy, those early municipal fathers pictured our city as an oasis on the bald prairie. They could see our wide streets lined with beautiful trees and lush parks.  It was in 1894 when quivering little trees were first planted along some of Calgary’s major thoroughfares – the very genesis of the urban forest that we know, love and protect today.  Little did those early Calgary pioneers understand the true science of trees in the city.

Many people may think that all the lovely tall trees in our most beloved parks are native to the area.  That might be true in Fish Creek Provincial Park, but in other parks such as Bowness and Stanley Park, each one of those magnificent fir trees or towering cottonwoods were planted by the parks department.  Even the home on private property in Calgary’s prestigious Mount Royal district and in Elbow Park were planted by home owners as these areas were completely treeless prior to 1900.

There is a city department called Parks Urban Forestry.  It’s headed up by Jeannette Wheeler who recently explained the value of urban trees to the Calgary Real Estate Board’s newsletter team.

She said trees improve the air quality in the city, absorbing pollutants and throwing out oxygen in return.  They provided habitat for birds and small mammals along with insects. They’re also travel corridors for those creatures.  Even the roots in the ground, while a sore point for some homeowners who watch driveways, sidewalks, patios and even sewer lines underground being messed up by roots, do serve a purpose because they absorb run off when we get excessive rain.  A tree canopy can help moderate temperatures so you don’t have to run the air conditioner so much.  Trees will boost your property values because they enhance the curb appeal of your home.

From an ethereal and psychological point of view, trees can reduce stress and create more positive outlooks for city dwellers. Some studies even indicate that crime can be reduced and that folks can possibly recover faster from illness or surgery.

Wheeler pointed out that the city looks after about 500,000 trees in our parks and along boulevards.  If you combine that figure with trees on private property, there could be another 1.5 million trees bringing the total to 2 million.

The number of trees that the city cares for has actually come down in recent years, most notably because of the flood we experienced in 2013 and because of the crazy early snowfall we had in 2014 with heavy wet snow. Because the leaves on the trees were still green that first week of September 2014 the load on the trees was extremely heavy.  It affected about 50% of the trees in the city, it’s estimated.

Undaunted by adverse weather and freak flooding, the city has invested $35 million in recovering our urban forest.  Part of the funding has gone towards tree awareness and of the need to replant trees, stressing all the aforementioned points about the value of a forest in the city.  One of the programs is called ReTree YYC.  It covers homeowner education about how to pick out a new tree for your property, how to plant it properly and how to care for it going forward including how to successfully prune it.

Part of that education is for people in older neighbourhoods in Calgary to realize and understand that trees have a certain lifecycle and that new trees need to be planted in anticipation of the old ones going.  Older trees have to be watched and removed at the first sign of rot so they don’t fall on homes, vehicles or people.  It’s part of being a responsible home owner.

Residents interested in tapping into the ReTree YYC initiative either for the own yard or for their community can visit the City of Calgary’s website.