Thursday December 4, 2003

Thank you to everyone who made it out last evening, particularly David Schmitt of the City.

As a follow-up to the July meeting that focused on the issue of tree preservation and maintenance in an area affected by street re-construction, we have had several emails going back with the city.  At this point it made sense to gather people together to go over the options before our neighbourhood at the moment.

The meeting was held at the home of David Thompson on Simeon St. and was attended by Val Brennan, Don Staukie, Polly Rankin, David Thompson, Lloyd, Ruth Ann Boos, Kelly Burmeister, Ray Robertson, and David Bradshaw.

The discussion dealt with:

1. Choices of replacement trees.

2. The possibility of a neighbourhood wide forestry plan.

3. Co-existence of the trees with hydro lines.
    

While there are a number of tree species that are available it David Schmitt used the following factors to determine which would be the best choices:

1. the soil conditions found in our neighbourhood,

2. the width of the boulevards (amount of city property between street and home owner's property)

3. the desire to have a mature sustainable canopy over the streets

4. to introduce some species diversification.

5. co-existence with hydro lines.

Given these considerations a recommendation of sugar maples for the side of the street without hydro lines and red oak trees for the side with hydro lines was made.  The Red Oak while providing a canopy tends to be less dense than the maple trees and therefore better able to facilitate hydro lines passing through the tree canopy.

It is also the desire of the City and the urban forester to create a plan for our neighbourhood based on the factors above that could be approved by the neighbours and used to manage the successful health growth of the trees in our community.  Currently no such plan exists for older parts of the city.  The group agreed to move ahead with this plan for spring planting - replacing the trees that were removed due to the tree reconstruction.  Or for any other reason. The tree stock that will be used is 60 mm - 70 mm in trunk width approximately 60 cm from the ground.

David Schmitt will provide a plan for the January/February time frame in 2004 that the neighbourhood as a whole can approve as an ongoing maintenance/development plan.

The biggest factor affecting the success or failure of the trees is the interplay with hydro lines and the pruning that ensues.

Research into the use of Hendrix wires is being pursued.  Attempts are being made to bring the chief urban forester for the city of Toronto to Kitchener to speak to the neighbourhood and City of Kitchener and Kitchener Wilmot Hydro about the use of Hendrix wires in Toronto.  David Schmitt is following up on this possibility and will coordinate with David Thompson.

As the city of Kitchener owns KW Hydro, councilor John Smola has been approached to get an update from him on what is happening with the process of review of Hendrix wire and other technologies or processes that could be less harmful to the urban forest.

We also have a member of the group, Val Brennan, reviewing the option of being designated a Heritage district in order to preserve our tree stock as an integral part of that neighbourhood.