Street Tree Management Program
What is TreeCare?

TreeCare is the Vancouver Park Board's Street Tree Management Program designed to improve care of current tree stock and to substantially increase the planting of street trees over the next decade.

The cultivation and care of trees is called arboriculture. The Arboriculture Section of the Park Board plants and cares for our street trees.

What are the Goals of TreeCare?

• to substantially increase the City's street stock.
• to improve the pruning and care of Vancouver's street trees.
• to effectively respond to the needs and expectations of City residents with regard to the City's street trees.
• to improve the quality of our urban environment.
• to broaden species diversity.

How Does the Program Work?

Plant — most tree planting takes place from November to March. Tree-deficient areas of the City are indentified for block plantings each year. There are many factors that must be considered when choosing suitable blocks for new street trees. For example, a preferred planting site would have sidewalks and curbs. Also, a number of trees are planted city-wide as replacements for tress that were removed because they were dead, diseased, blown down in a storm, or damaged by construction. An urban tree can live up to 100 years, depending on species, location, care environmental factors, and the impact of urban development.

Prune — not all of Vancouver's street trees can be pruned at once, but TreeCare means that new pruning operations are now in place and trees are maintained on a 7-year cycle. The City is divided into 22 neighbourhoods and crews work in 4 neighbourhoods each month. The Park Board prunes trees for two reasons: 1) to ensure the safety of people and property; 2) for horitcultural reasons-to maintain the health of the tree. Horticultural pruning is the selective removal of weak, broken, dead or problem branches. It is also used to train growth in a desired direction. Trees are not pruned to reduce their size, to improve views or to control the shedding of leaves. Generally, only dead, dangerous or severely diseased trees are removed.

Protect — Treecare means protecting people and property from tree hazards. It also means better methods of protecting trees against vandalism, the impact of urban development and natural pests and diseases. The Park Board uses a variety of methods to maintain the health of the City's trees, such as monitoring, introducing a wider variety of tree species, and good arboriculture practices, to maintain the health of the City's trees.

Integrated Pest Management minimizes the use of chemical sprays. Chemical sprays do not always provide a "quick fix" and may have a negative impact on the environment. Instead, cultural practices and biological controls are used to maintain pests and diseases at an acceptable level.

[ top ]

Why We Need Our Urban Forest

Trees:

• are a source of beauty in our environment
• condition the air by absorbing CO2 and pollutants in the air
• are a source of beauty in our environment
• condition the air by absorbing CO2 and pollutants in the air
• supply oxygen, that we breathe
• reduce heat in the summer through the evaporation of water from the leaves
• reduce the wind factor in the winter
• control erosion
• provide a rain canopy
• act as noise buffers
• provide privacy
• soften the urban landscape
• encourage neighbourhood pride
• increase land values
• reduce energy costs associated with heating and cooling homes
• provide food and shelter for wildlife
• when part of a convalescent's environment,
contribute to the healing process
• reduce the stress of urban living
• provide leaf mulch

Support the TreeCare Program

• The first three years of a tree's life are critical. As a resident you can assist by watering newly-planted trees. (They need about 5 gallons of water 2 times/week.) A slow-running hose is best. Deep watering discourages the growth of surface roots.
• Be careful not to bump the tree with car doors or machinery, especially lawn mowers and weed whips. The bark of a young tree and some older trees is fragile.
• Don't pile trash, building materials or other objects around a tree; especially avoid very heavy objects that compact the ground around.
• Report any act of vandalism that might threaten the health of the tree to the Police and the Park Board.
• Remember that we are all responsible for protecting our street trees.

Tree Facts

• The City has 1400 km (800 miles) of streets with over 110,000 street trees on them. These trees occupy about 60% of all potential planting sites.
• The City operates its own tree-growing nursery in Langley providing good quality tree stock (at low cost.)
• It costs from $300 to $500 to grow, plant and care for a new street tree for the first 2 years.
• Millions of trees are lost to urban development in North America each year.
• Humans are the greatest risk to the survival of the urban forest, due to pollution, careless damage, soil compaction of the roots, topping and other poor arboricultural practices. It takes 75 trees to provide oxygen to sustain one human being for a lifetime.
• Street trees are one of the few assets of the City that actually increase in value over time.
• The current value of the street tree stock in Vancouver is estimated to be $500 million.

If you have a question or want to report a problem, contact TreeCare at (604) 257-8600.

[ top ]