All Sections All Sections Winnipeg Free Press
Your Balance +tax Your Balance +tax

January 27, 2021

Winnipeg
-29° C, Clear

Full Forecast

Contact Us Subscribe Manage Subscription Chat with us
Log in Create Free Account Help Chat with us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertising Contact
    • Submit a News Tip
    • Subscribe to Newsletters

    • Finding your
      information

    • My Account
    • Manage my Subscription
    • Change Password

    • Grid View
    • List View
    • Compact View
    • Text Size
    • Translate

    • Log Out
    • Log in
    • Create Free Account
    • Help

    • Grid View
    • List View
    • Compact View
    • Text Size
    • Translate
  • Coronavirus Coverage
  • Replica E-Edition
    • About the E-Edition
    • Winnipeg Free Press
    • The Herald
    • The Headliner
    • The Lance
    • The Metro
    • The Sou'Wester
    • The Times
  • Above the Fold
  • Front page
  • Arts & Life
    • All Arts & Life
    • The Arts
    • Autos
    • Books
    • Book Club
    • Cannabis
    • Celebrities
    • Diversions
    • Puzzles
    • Environment
    • Events
    • Faith
    • Food & Drink
    • Your Health
    • Life & Style
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Science & Technology
    • TV
    • Travel
  • Business
    • All Business
    • Agriculture
    • Personal Finance
  • Canada
  • Local
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Columnists
    • Editorials
    • Editorial Cartoons
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Send a Letter to the Editor
  • Sports
    • All Sports
    • Amateur
    • Auto Racing
    • Blue Bombers
    • Curling
    • Football
    • Goldeyes
    • Golf
    • High School
    • Hockey
    • Horse Racing
    • Winnipeg Jets
    • Manitoba Moose
    • WHL
    • MLB
    • NBA
    • Olympics
    • Soccer
  • World
  • About Us
    • About Us
    • Advertising
    • Contact Us
    • Carrier Positions & Retailer Requests
    • FP Newspapers Inc.
    • History
    • Internships
    • Job Opportunities
    • News Café
    • Privacy Policy
    • Retail Locations
    • Staff Biographies
    • Terms and Conditions
  • Archives
  • Canstar Community News
    • All Canstar Community News
    • The Headliner
    • The Herald
    • The Lance
    • The Metro
    • The Sou'wester
    • The Times
    • Sports
    • Events
    • Contact Us
    • E-Editions
  • Classifieds
  • Contests
  • Coupons
    • All Coupons
    • Staples Copy & Print Coupons
    • Ripley's Aquariums Coupons
    • The Bay Coupons
    • Staples Canada Coupons
    • Altitude Sports Coupons
    • Nike Coupons
    • Tuango Coupons
    • Ebay Canada Coupons
    • Sport Chek Coupons
    • Roots Coupons
  • Sponsored
    • Publications
    • Sponsored Articles
  • Flyers
  • Homes
    • Property Listings
    • Featured News
    • Renovation and design
    • New homes
    • Resale homes
  • Newsletters
  • Obituaries
  • Puzzles
  • Photostore
  • More

©2021 FP Newspaper Inc.

Close
  • Quick Links

    • Coronavirus Coverage
    • Above the Fold
    • Home
    • Local
    • Canada
    • World
    • Classifieds
    • Special Coverage
    • Flyers
    • Newsletters
    • Obituaries
    • Photostore
    • Archives
    • Contests
    • Publications
    • Sponsored Content
    • Privacy Policy

    Ways to support us

    • Pay it Forward program
    • Subscribe
    • Day Pass
    • Read Now Pay later
  • Replica E-Edition

    • About the E-Edition
    • Winnipeg Free Press
    • The Herald
    • The Headliner
    • The Lance
    • The Metro
    • The Sou'Wester
    • The Times

    Business

    • All Business
    • Agriculture
    • Personal Finance
  • Arts & Life

    • All Arts & Life
    • The Arts
    • Autos
    • Books
    • Cannabis
    • Celebrities
    • Diversions
    • Puzzles
    • Environment
    • Events
    • Faith
    • Food & Drink
    • Your Health
    • Life & Style
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Science & Technology
    • TV
    • Travel
  • Sports

    • All Sports
    • Amateur
    • Auto Racing
    • Blue Bombers
    • Curling
    • Football
    • Goldeyes
    • Golf
    • High School
    • Hockey
    • Horse Racing
    • Winnipeg Jets
    • Manitoba Moose
    • WHL
    • MLB
    • NBA
    • Olympics
    • Soccer
  • Opinion

    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Columnists
    • Editorials
    • Editorial Cartoons
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Send a Letter to the Editor

    Media

    • All Media
    • Photo Galleries
    • Videos

    Homes

    • Property Listings
    • Featured News
    • Renovation and design
    • New homes
    • Resale homes
  • Canstar Community News

    • All Canstar Community News
    • The Headliner
    • The Herald
    • The Lance
    • The Metro
    • The Sou'wester
    • The Times
    • Sports
    • Events
    • Contact Us
    • E-Editions
  • Coupons

    • All Coupons
    • Staples Copy & Print Coupons
    • Ripley's Aquariums Coupons
    • The Bay Coupons
    • Staples Canada Coupons
    • Altitude Sports Coupons
    • Nike Coupons
    • Tuango Coupons
    • Ebay Canada Coupons
    • Sport Chek Coupons
    • Roots Coupons
  • About Us

    • About Us
    • Advertising
    • Contact Us
    • Carrier Positions & Retailer Requests
    • FP Newspapers Inc.
    • History
    • Internships
    • Job Opportunities
    • News Café
    • Privacy Policy
    • Retail Locations
    • Staff Biographies
    • Terms and Conditions
Canstar Community News
  • The Herald
  • The Lance
  • The Sou'wester
  • The Metro
  • The Times
  • The Headliner
  • Sports
  • Correspondents
  • Columns
  • Contact Us
  • E-Edition
  • Publications
  • Building Unity: Our Community Centres
WEATHER ALERT

Advertisement

Advertise With Us

A little ReLeaf for city’s canopy

Eva Wasney By: Eva Wasney
Posted: 3:37 PM CDT Friday, Apr. 5, 2019

  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Print
  • Email
Charleswood arborist and Trees Winnipeg president Gerry Engel.

EVA WASNEY

Charleswood arborist and Trees Winnipeg president Gerry Engel.

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 5/4/2019 (662 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The giant oak trees sprinkled throughout Charleswood are the neighbourhood’s original residents. 
Aside from the oaks, the area was largely devoid of trees when the community started growing after the Second World War, according to local arborist and Trees Winnipeg president Gerry Engel. Most of the mature trees that shade the neighbourhood today were planted by residents through a government subsidy program — much like the program Trees Winnipeg, which has been running for the last three years. 
Engel met with The Metro on a quiet, tree-lined strip of Robindale Road to talk about the organization’s ReLeaf Tree Planting Program, which provides Winnipeggers with a sapling and detailed planting instructions for $55.
"It’s kind of an interesting area to talk about ReLeaf because we see the need for residents to plant more trees," he said. "The city is failing at replanting enough trees considering the number that are being removed, but also private residents aren’t replacing trees at the rate that we need to in order to maintain the urban forest."
Winnipeg’s canopy is suffering from monoculture planting and forestry decisions made in the city’s early days. 
American elms were planted all over Winnipeg because they are winter hardy and fast growing, explained Richard Westwood, chair of the Department of Environmental Studies and Sciences at the University of Winnipeg.
"There’s so many great things about elms and that’s why elms were so widely planted in a lot of northern cities over the last 150 years," Westwood said, adding that the City turned to ash trees when Dutch elm disease showed up in the 1970s. "We now have an invasive ash pest from another continent and we’re kind of pickled."
According to data from the City of Winnipeg, roughly 46 per cent of the city’s urban forest is made up of American elm and green ash trees — all of which are at risk of removal due to Dutch elm disease and infestation by the emerald ash borer. 
To keep Winnipeg well-treed, Westwood said it’s important to diversify.
"The goal is to not be dependent on any one or two tree species, in terms of urban forestry, but to have a variety of species and have that variety of species dispersed throughout the city," he said. 
Improving diversity is one of the tenets of the ReLeaf program. The trees offered this year include crab apple, maple, lilac, plum and linden and mountain ash. 
"It’s also important to offer the homeowners the right trees for their property and a lot of the properties today in newer developments are smaller and can’t accommodate big trees, so we have selections of trees that are of smaller size," Engel said. 
Last year, 400 households planted new trees through the program. 
Trees can be ordered through the ReLeaf program until May 1 at treeswinnipeg.org/releaf-tree-planting-program and will be available for pickup in mid-May. Participants are required to attend a planting workshop when they pick up their saplings.

The giant oak trees of Charleswood are the neighbourhood’s original residents. 

Aside from the oaks, the area was largely devoid of trees when the community started growing after the Second World War, according to local arborist and Trees Winnipeg president Gerry Engel. Most of the mature trees that shade the neighbourhood today were planted by residents through a government subsidy program — much like the program Trees Winnipeg has been running for the last three years. 

Engel met with The Metro on a quiet, tree-lined strip of Robindale Road to talk about the organization’s ReLeaf Tree Planting Program, which provides Winnipeggers with a sapling and detailed planting instructions for $55.

"It’s kind of an interesting area to talk about ReLeaf because we see the need for residents to plant more trees," he said. "The city is failing at replanting enough trees considering the number that are being removed, but also private residents aren’t replacing trees at the rate that we need to in order to maintain the urban forest."

Winnipeg’s canopy is suffering from monoculture planting and forestry decisions made in the city’s early days. 

Trees Winnipeg president Gerry Engel stands next to a sapling planted in Charleswood through the ReLeaf Tree Planting Program last year.

EVA WASNEY

Trees Winnipeg president Gerry Engel stands next to a sapling planted in Charleswood through the ReLeaf Tree Planting Program last year.

American elms were planted all over Winnipeg because they are winter hardy and fast growing, explained Richard Westwood, chair of the Department of Environmental Studies and Sciences at the University of Winnipeg.

"There’s so many great things about elms and that’s why elms were so widely planted in a lot of northern cities over the last 150 years," Westwood said, adding that the City turned to ash trees when Dutch elm disease showed up in the 1970s. "We now have an invasive ash pest from another continent and we’re kind of pickled."

According to data from the City of Winnipeg, roughly 46 per cent of the city’s urban forest is made up of American elm and green ash trees — all of which are at risk of removal due to Dutch elm disease and infestation by the emerald ash borer. 

Stay informed

The latest updates on the novel coronavirus and COVID-19.

Subscribe to COVID-19 Briefing
Sign Up

To keep Winnipeg well-treed, Westwood said it’s important to diversify.

"The goal is to not be dependent on any one or two tree species, in terms of urban forestry, but to have a variety of species and have that variety of species dispersed throughout the city," he said. 

Improving diversity is one of the tenets of the ReLeaf program. The trees offered this year include crab apple, maple, lilac, plum and linden and mountain ash. 

"It’s also important to offer the homeowners the right trees for their property and a lot of the properties today in newer developments are smaller and can’t accommodate big trees, so we have selections of trees that are of smaller size," Engel said. 

Last year, 400 households planted new trees through the program. 

Trees can be ordered through the ReLeaf program until May 1 at treeswinnipeg.org/releaf-tree-planting-program and will be available for pickup in mid-May. Participants are required to attend a planting workshop when they pick up their saplings.

Eva Wasney

Eva Wasney
Arts Reporter

Eva Wasney is a reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press.

   Read full biography

Advertisement

Advertise With Us

  • Report Error
  • Submit a Tip
  • Refund

The Winnipeg Free Press invites you to share your opinion on this story in a letter to the editor. A selection of letters to the editor are published daily.

To submit a letter:
• fill out the form on this page, or
• email letters@freepress.mb.ca, or
• mail Letters to the Editor, 1355 Mountain Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R2X 3B6.

Letters must include the writer’s full name, address, and a daytime phone number. Letters are edited for length and clarity.

Advertisement

Advertise With Us

Top