24°c Partly cloudy
25°c Chance of thundershowers
Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Residents upset by plow damage to trees
Mimi Raglan checks out damage to a tree on Balfour Avenue in Riverview. Residents say the damage was caused by snowplowing. (JOE BRYKSA / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS) Photo Store
Related Items
AFTER city plows sideswiped trees in Riverview last week, some residents awoke to their own version of a nightmare on Elm Street.
On a tree near the corner of Casey Street and Ashland Avenue, bark and wood were scraped off in a foot-long gash.
Along Fisher Street, elm trunks were gouged as though a blade had cut through them.
The worst damage is at the corner of Casey and Balfour Avenue, where an oak tree is missing a chunk the size of a large dinner plate.
About 10 trees were damaged during careless snowplowing overnight Thursday.
Inspectors and foresters from the City of Winnipeg have been on site to inspect and photograph the damage.
Resident Brad Bayer first saw the damage while driving his daughter to school.
"As we drove farther on different streets we saw more and more gouges. Every year we band our trees in the neighbourhood," said Bayer, referring to tanglefoot bands that prevent cankerworms.
"I was just disappointed to see that the city crews didn't take as much care as we do to the city-owned boulevard trees."
Bayer grew up in St. Boniface, where he said you couldn't throw a football in the streets because the tree canopy was so thick. He said he's saddened to see the tree population decline.
"There have been so many knocks this winter in the way the city has cleaned the streets," said Bayer. "This is just another example. I'm just disappointed in the way the guys who are running the front-end loaders or the graders that they aren't taking care enough to not hit the trees."
City forester Martha Barwinsky said although the trees were damaged, they can often heal themselves.
"Any mechanical damage to a tree is not good, it's detrimental to the tree," said Barwinsky. "But also, that kind of damage is not repairable."
Some people have mentioned painting over the gashes, referring to a process using pruning seal or tree paint to close open wounds on the tree's trunk. But Barwinsky said that would not help the tree heal.
"The tree does utilize its own resources to close off whatever damage it's incurred to protect the rest of the tree," she said.
Residents of the Riverview neighbourhood noted they have a strong attachment to trees.
"It's just such a shame," said Lisa Chisholm. "We've worked so hard to have such nice trees. It's a draw for people who buy here. And we try to take care of them and band them. It'd be nice to see them taken care of."
Mimi Raglan, a Balfour resident for 13 years, said she is sad because the trees are the main reason she lives in Riverview.
"This is our neighbourhood. This is why we like our neighbourhood, because of the old trees," said Raglan.
"I'm very sad. It's upsetting and it's not good for the neighbourhood."
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition March 13, 2013 B1
History
Updated on Wednesday, March 13, 2013 at 9:28 AM CDT: replaces photo
More Latest News
- Back to Top
- Return to Latest News
More Latest News
(1 of 49 articles for today)
HBO and James Gandolfini's managers say the actor famous for 'The Sopranos' has died in Italy
7:25 PM 0
Poll
Most Popular Latest News
- Court told driver hysterical after vehicle fatally hit highway worker
- Child in critical condition after West End crash
- Mountie hospitalized, dog euthanized after crash near Saskatoon
- Sobey clan to alter city market
- HBO and James Gandolfini's managers say the actor famous for 'The Sopranos' has died in Italy
- New crowd plan for Taylor Swift get-together
- Young girl found dead on railway tracks
- Community's children apprehended by province
- Kids of St. Ignatius make Sweet gesture to beloved crossing guard
- 'Shocking' half of First Nations kids living in poverty, new study finds
- Young girl found dead on railway tracks
- HSC Home Lottery winners announced
- Court told driver hysterical after vehicle fatally hit highway worker
- Child in critical condition after West End crash
- Winnipeg man given 2-year sentence for coma-inducing 'sucker punch'
- Toronto woman dead in rural Manitoba ATV wreck
- Man convicted of drunk driving in Henderson pile-up
- Bomber fans wowed by new stadium
- RCMP say woman deliberately murdered her sister with her car
- Portage Ave. stretch re-opens after Friday-night bomb scare
- Young girl found dead on railway tracks
- Man dies after being pulled from vehicle submerged in Winnipeg retention pond
- Hailstorm wreaks havoc on Winnipeg garden centre
- 87-year-old woman tells jurors, 'Somebody had to stand up to' Donald Trump
- Two people killed in crash north of Winnipeg
- Two Winnipeg teens identified as victims of crash
- HSC Home Lottery winners announced
- Father, daughter seriously injured in ATV crash
- Chiropractor guilty of sexually assaulting, beating ex-girlfriend
- Court told driver hysterical after vehicle fatally hit highway worker
- Baked Alaska: Unusual heat wave hits north, with temps topping 80 degrees (26C) in Anchorage
- Mountie hospitalized, dog euthanized after crash near Saskatoon
- New crowd plan for Taylor Swift get-together
- HBO and James Gandolfini's managers say the actor famous for 'The Sopranos' has died in Italy
- Court told driver hysterical after vehicle fatally hit highway worker
- Sobey clan to alter city market
- Community's children apprehended by province
- Accounts and accountability: UK committee says bankers must take more responsibility
- Tory attacks on Trudeau boomerang, raise questions about PMO involvement
- Métis ready to ring bell again
- At 55, I'm wise to what's real in life
- Sobeys gobbles up Safeway
- Basic arithmetic back in class
- Priest kept silent about accusations against Storheim, court hears
- Geothermal heat coming to some Manitoba First Nations
- Spiralling cost of land raises new home prices
- Baked Alaska: Unusual heat wave hits north, with temps topping 80 degrees (26C) in Anchorage
- App could give Winnipeggers chance to report bad parking, get paid
- Rogers and MTS announce new network sharing agreement
- $110-K worth of nickel plates stolen from Thompson mine
- New owner for lumber stores
- Chiropractor guilty of sexually assaulting, beating ex-girlfriend
- Grocer Joe Cantor dies at 88
- Door openers being used to break into garages, police warn
- Province formally opens Mental Health Crisis Response Centre
- Hailstorm wreaks havoc on Winnipeg garden centre
- New rules let customers cancel phone contracts without penalty after two years
- App could give Winnipeggers chance to report bad parking, get paid
- At 55, I'm wise to what's real in life
- MTS to sell Allstream to Egyptian investment group, focus on Manitoba market
Ads by Google
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is be a Winnipeg Free Press print or e-edition subscriber to join the conversation and give your feedback.
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is be a Winnipeg Free Press print or e-edition subscriber to join the conversation and give your feedback.
Have Your Say
New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.
Have Your Say
Comments are open to Winnipeg Free Press print or e-edition subscribers only. why?
Login SubscribeHave Your Say
Comments are open to Winnipeg Free Press Subscribers only. why?
SubscribeThe Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.