Street trees are publicly owned trees planted by or on behalf of the City next to the road, sidewalk, or on property along the street.
These trees provide beauty and shade, help improve air quality, help regulate water flow, and add economic value to your neighbourhood.
If a new street tree is planted near your property, you will receive a door-hanger notice asking for your help to care for this new tree.
City contractors water new street trees in June, July, August and September for the first four years. The City may install a watering bag on your tree to assist with our watering program.
You can help with watering the trees more frequently during dry conditions or extreme heat. It’s easy:
- Using a garden hose, water the base of the tree or insert the hose into a watering bag if it has one.
- Give it a good soak for about two minutes, once or twice a week in the summer. This is especially important during hot or extreme weather.
How to care for new street trees
- Water your tree weekly, except during dry periods when it can be watered twice a week. Usually 60 litres (16 gallons) per watering is enough.
- Avoid spraying the canopy of the tree while watering, this may cause damage to the leaves, leading to premature leaf drop.
- Keep your lawn and boulevard healthy, this will help the tree get enough water.
- Don’t remove, add or reconstruct the mulch at the base of the tree. Make sure you don’t pile soil or grass clippings on top of the wood chips.
- Leave support stakes in place. They will be removed by the contractor within the two-year warranty period.
- Keep grass cutting tools away from the tree trunk.
What types of trees are planted
When choosing what type of tree to plant in your neighbourhood, the City looks at:
- Spacing standards and whether the location can fit the fully grown size of the tree
- If the soil types is good for that type of tree
- If there’s a conflict with underground or above-ground utilities
- If there’s tree diversity on the street and in the neighbourhood