Rockland Trees Slated for Removal and Message from City
The following is a message from the City of Victoria for Rockland residents.
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The purpose of this note is to advise your neighbourhood association about the upcoming removal of City trees in your area that are at the end of their healthy lifespan. There are 5 trees in your neighbourhood that have been identified for removal. The specific tree, its condition and location are as follows:
Address Species Diameter Reason for Removal
1015 Joan Cres Amelanchier 5cm Dead
721 Moss St. Prunus cerasifera 39cm Basal decay, crown
decline.
600 Richmond Ave. Prunus cerasifera 38cm Basal decay
1342 Rockland Ave. Chaecyparis nootkatensis 17cm Dead
1401 Rockland Ave. Aesculus hippocastanum 36cm Basal decay 21240
The tree removals will take place between Janurary31st and March 1st 2019. A new tree will be selected and the tree plantings will begin in the fall of 2020.
Caring for Our Urban Forest
Planning for a healthy urban forest is very important to the City of Victoria. We manage 33,000 City-owned trees, most of which are on 300 kilometers of boulevards and in our 137 parks and open spaces.
In addition to being beautiful, these trees help improve air quality, absorb water during storms and reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in our environment. They also help shade our streets and buildings, helping to cool our city.
Guided by the Urban Forest Master Plan, our arboriculture team develops plans that involve identifying areas for planting new trees to expand the inventory, as well as identifying existing trees that are at the end of their healthy life. Removing unhealthy trees reduces safety risks and opens up space to plant new, young trees which will grow into our future urban forest.
The City of Victoria Urban Tree Inventory completed in 2012 found that 64% of public trees are in good or excellent condition and 30% are in fair condition and 6% are in poor condition.
This year several trees were identified as either dead or in significant decline and require removal. Each tree was identified through a ‘request for service’ from the public or by City staff, and was inspected by our Certified Arborists, using an internationally recognized assessment process.
Removal of any tree is always a last resort. Pruning and other options to mitigate the risks of the unhealthy tree are always considered first. Our practice with each removal is for a new tree to be planted, with consideration for the species that will have the best chance for success given a particular location.
We thank you for your understanding as we work to improve the health of our urban trees. Residents that live close to a tree on the removal list will receive a letter and tree removal notices will be posted to each tree.
Please don’t hesitate to contact the Parks office at 250.361.0600 or parks@victoria.ca if you have any questions.