Please choose between the following three options:
Skip to main menu Skip to site search Continue to current page menu and contentMain page content begins here
To help maintain the size of Edmonton’s urban forest, the City replants boulevard and open space trees through the Tree Replacement Program.
For the past several years, the City has lost roughly 3,000 Boulevard and Open Space Trees annually. Trees succumb to pests and disease, construction damage, drought, vehicle collisions, storm damage, age and other external circumstances. Furthermore, in the late 1990s and early 2000s, a drought contributed to a significant loss of total canopy. Roughly 20,000 trees were lost and that loss has yet to be completely replaced.
To help maintain the size of Edmonton’s urban forest, the City replants Boulevard and Open Space Trees through the Tree Replacement Program. Every year, the Inventory and Assessment team assesses the Boulevard and Open Space Trees located on one half of the city.
The City has two types of planting programs:
Replacement planting is not considered part of the yearly total of net new trees.
Dead trees, trees in very poor condition or hazardous trees are identified for removal.
Boulevard and open space trees are assessed every year by the Inventory and Assessment team. If a tree has been marked for removal, that tree site will be a candidate for the Tree Replacement program in the following year.
For the next several years, approximately 6,000 trees will be planted yearly through the Tree Replacement program. This is an annual increase of 3,000 trees to help reduce the backlog of trees requiring replacement.
The sites for the following year’s replacement plantings are determined each fall. Priority is given to neighbourhoods with the highest proportion of trees requiring replacement within the quadrants of focus. Hardscape sites within Business Improvement Areas are replaced annually.
Each site is evaluated for above and below ground conflicts and to determine which tree species is best suited to the site conditions. In some situations replacement planting might not be feasible, such as when underground utilities are too close to the planting area.
Tree species are selected for a variety of reasons, such as site conditions and proximity to surrounding infrastructure. A tree species may also be selected to help increase the tree species diversity within Edmonton’s urban forest. Tree species diversity is especially important in our changing climate and to reduce the impact of disease and pests.
Trees are typically installed between mid-May and mid-October.
Stakes and mulch will be installed at the time of planting to help support tree establishment.
Depending on the species of tree planted, the tree will be watered periodically throughout the growing season for the next 3 to 5 years.
| Online | Contact 311 Online |
|---|
If you are calling from outside of Edmonton: 780-442-5311
| Phone | 311 |
|---|---|
| TTY | 711 |