TREE INVENTORY: DONE!

The Tree Inventory of Harbord Village is now complete, thanks to the efficient work of U of T Forestry student Louise Potts in Summer 2008, building on the initial report by Julie Keller in Summer 2007. We now know the position, size, and health of over 4000 trees, including possible hazards. We also know what varieties we have, including rare species and heritage trees. The study included trees at the fronts of houses, which are usually the property of the City of Toronto, and also trees in back yards, which are the property of the homeowners.

The 2008 Report gives the full picture for trees in our neighbourhood. Look at the charts to see the current state of the tree canopy, including the proportions of different species and sizes of trees; read the text to get Louise's sense of how the neighbourhood can use the inventory to strengthen our stewardship role. (Julie Keller's 2007 Report is also still available, or see below for a summary of her findings and recommendations about management of our urban forest.)

If you want to find details about individual trees, you can search through the database files and Google Earth maps accompanying the reports. They were constructed using the Neighbourwoods protocol developed by Professor Andy Kenney of the Faculty of Forestry.

• The complete database is available as a two Excel files (from 2007 and from 2008) that you can scroll through to see what trees are on your street, or search to find specific types of trees you want to investigate.
• Each tree is also identified on a Google Earth map. It shows up as a pushpin with a "bubble" note about the tree's species, size, and condition. These are the steps:
  1. First download and install the free Google Earth software. Open it in a window of its own.
  2. Keep the current Trees page open too. You may want to print out a map giving the system of block numbering used. Now use this link to move to a file folder containing the Google Earth Maps.
  3. Choose a map by block number and click on it. Google Earth will open it for you.
  4. Click on the pushpins to read the notes.

BACKYARD TREE PLANTING

One recommendation of the 2007 Inventory was to keep planting young trees to create a succession for the beautiful but aging large trees that characterize the area. In Spring 2008, HVRA used a grant from the Toronto Parks and Trees Foundation to plant 45 new trees in neighbourhood back yards, all of them native species well-adapted to our climate and to city conditions. In Fall 2008, we put another 25 trees in the ground. Watch for more new leaves next year! (See photos below of the Spring and Fall planting days.)

VILLAGE ARBORIST

Our first priority is to provide good care for our trees. After interviewing many companies, the Tree Committee recently selected Bruce Tree Expert Company as the Village Arborist. Besides providing a full range of tree services, the company has a long history of improving urban forests and an impressive educational focus. They will provide a variety of services on the properties of participating households at a discount rate. To sign up for a free inspection, contact Bruce Tree Expert Company at 416 252-8769 or by email (contact@brucetree.com) Be sure to register with your Harbord Village address in order to enjoy discounted services. The company can provide advice and care on your City-owned front-yard trees if you fill out a City form ahead of time. This winter, the company will conduct a safety audit of all the trees in the neighbourhood.

MANAGEMENT PLAN from 2007 INVENTORY REPORT

During the long hot summer of 2007, over 40 neighbourhood volunteers conducted a tree inventory to find out what trees we had and what state they were in. They began with three sessions of "Neighbourwoods" training from Professor Andy Kenney of the University of Toronto Faculty of Forestry. Then, with the cheerful help of Julie Keller, a Masters student in Forest Conservation, they set out in pairs to observe, analyse and record details about local trees. By the end of August they had analysed over 2000 trees in 13 blocks of Harbord Village, over 40% of the neighbourhood. Julie's initial report is available at the links below. It includes strong recommendations for a management plan.

1. Urban Forest Management Plan for Harbord Village.
• Pages 3-13 sum up the current state of the trees inventoried so far. Here are some facts:
• 51% are either Norway maple, tree of heaven, silver maple, or Manitoba maple.
• 41% are native species, 59% non-native species
• 13% (268 trees) are in poor or very poor condition, more of them in back yards than front yards
• The report offers recommendations for managing our urban forest:
• Pruning should be done on a cyclical plan, if necessary by hiring an arborist.
• Planting is needed to replace dead or dying trees and increase species diversity (see p. 43 on positioning new trees).
• Heritage Trees (large, old and rare trees) should be identified and given special care.
• Both local education and political lobbying are needed to raise awareness of the need for tree care.
• Throughout her report, Julie recommends that HVRA take stewardship over its own trees:
• We should look after watering and care of street trees (Adopt-a-Tree).
• We should "liberate" street trees from their concrete collars to give them necessary space and access to moisture.
• We should ensure that trees in poor condition are inspected by an arborist and given the care they need.
2. Appendices give further details for followup of the management plan using the 2007 data:
• Appendices 2 and 3 list native and non-native trees suitable for city planting.
• Appendix 5 lists trees in poor or very poor condition that should be inspected by an arborist.
• Appendix 9 lists heritage trees.

The following informational material was used by volunteers and will be useful for others interested in the tree canopy:

• City of Toronto leaflet (943 KB) showing shape and size of the trees it offers for front-yard planting (the most common city trees)
• The Neighbourwoods Reference Guide for analysing tree condition (developed by Andy Kenney)

City laws and regulations about tree ownership:

• The city bylaws about ownership and care of trees
• Regulations for hiring arborists to take care of your front-yard trees