Volunteers needed to check on trees in Riverview

South Osborne

May Wady and company have been looking out for Riverview’s trees for the past six years. They are now looking to grow their team of stewards to help protect their leafy investment in the community.

Founded in 2020 by Wady and neighbour Wendy Botkin, Trees Riverview works to protect, restore, and enhance Riverview’s public tree canopy. This small, volunteer-run organization has directly contributed to the planting of over 150 young trees on boulevards and other public green spaces in the neighbourhood.

Last year, upon noticing damage to some of the trees and realizing that they needed help with regular monitoring, Trees Riverview launched its Tree Steward program. Volunteer stewards — Riverview residents, generally — are assigned a group of trees that are convenient for them to check on and they report damage or hazards to Wady, who takes appropriate action.

If the tree is still under warranty — residents or groups wanting to plant trees on public property must hire a city-approved contractor to carry out the planting and two years of maintenance — and dies due to, say, underwatering, it will be replaced. The situation must be caught in time, however. This is where tree stewards have proven effective, says Wady.

Unfortunately, not all damage is covered under warranty, nor is the tree out of the woods, so to speak, after the two-year period. A significant risk to tree health in Riverview is the growing deer population, Wady says. During the fall rut or mating season, male deer use young trees to remove the velvet from their antlers in part to prepare to use them to fight other male deer — and a young tree is particularly vulnerable after its protective stakes and straps are removed after the two years.

“It’s just the right size, and the deer start rubbing their antlers on it and what can happen is, they gird the tree if they rub all the way around the tree and take off the bark. That means the nutrients can’t get up to the branches and the tree will die,” Wady explains.

Timely reports from tree stewards of severe damage caused by deer have enabled the city’s urban forestry branch to quickly intervene with stakes and fencing, says Wady.

Tree stewards check on their assigned trees on a schedule that works for them, mainly during the growing season, says Wady. Those interested in becoming a steward or learning more about the program can contact Trees Riverview through their website treesriverview.com