Grassroots group is all about the trees

South Osborne

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This article was published 05/06/2024 (525 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A small but mighty organization dedicated to saving the trees has taken root in South Osborne.

Now in its fourth year, Trees Riverview works to protect, restore, and enhance the tree canopy in the neighbourhood. It began through the efforts of two residents concerned by the loss of boulevard trees. The pair were soon joined by three others to form “a key team of results-oriented women,” according to the organization’s website.

In addition to planting new trees, Trees Riverview takes action to preserve existing trees. In 2022, for example, it worked with the City of Winnipeg to organize a tree-wrapping event along the Red River in Churchill Park to protect about 100 trees from beaver damage.

According to Trees Riverview’s Carol Thiessen, there seemed to have been excessive damage to the riverbank trees that winter. Wrapping some species with stucco wire has prevented beavers from felling the trees, Thiessen said.

The trees selected for wrapping were those of particular value to humans. These tend to be slower-growing species like oak or others which do not grow from the base, said City of Winnipeg biologist Cameron Ruml. Smaller trees, such as willows, which sprout vigorously from the base are intentionally left for beavers, Ruml said.

As Thiessen and Ruml see it, some trees are for beavers, and some are for people; beavers are part of the natural ecosystem of the city and the goal is to co-exist with them and other wildlife.

“You can think of the rivers as like a beaver highway,” Ruml said. They are always moving through the city and may only inhabit a given area for a few years, he adds.

Dutch elm disease is another factor contributing to tree loss in Winnipeg. Last year, Trees Riverview helped organize a demonstration in Fisher Park on how to inoculate a healthy elm against the disease.

“Just to provide more information to community members on things that they might be able to do in their own yards,” Thiessen said, noting that one of Trees Riverview’s goals is to raise awareness and increase knowledge of how to protect the tree canopy in the neighbourhood.

Riverview residents can also help the urban forest by planting trees on their own property if possible and supporting community efforts, Thiessen said.

Trees Riverview received a grant from the city to plant and care for 30 high-quality boulevard trees this summer.