Boulevard Tree Operations of Vancouver, B.C.

Planting

In surveys carried out by City administration, residents consistently emphasized the importance of vegetation in enhancing the livability and enjoyment of their neighborhoods. In response, the City has pursued the objectives of beautifying and softening the urban environment by maintaining and enhancing the existing street tree stock, and expanding the current street tree population.

Tree planting on residential streets in Vancouver is funded with Park Board capital. Current funding is targeted to five neighborhoods which were identified as being park deficient. About $150,000 will be spent on street tree planting on residential streets in each of the four years of the 1987-1990 Capital Plan.

Tree planting on commercial and industrial streets is undertaken through street beautification projects initiated by business associations and the Engineering Department, and funded through property owner levy and the Engineering Department’s Four Year Capital Plan. Localized street tree planting is also initiated through Engineering Department street widening and left turn bay projects and funded through the Department’s Four Year Capital Plan.

Another source of funding for street tree planting is developers paying for street tree planting adjoining a residential, commercial, or industrial development. A modest amount of street tree planting has been funded by donation, for example the work of “Friends of the West End Trees”, who received an ISA Gold Leaf Award for their program.

In general, two-inch diameter trees are planted on boulevards. Trees are planted on blocks with curbs and planting strips at least three feet wide. Tree pits are dug by hand because of the numbers and locations of utilities in the road rights-of-way. Pits are often prepared in the summer, and planting occurs in the fall and winter.

Replacement tree planting is funded through the Park Board’s operating budget (Figure 2). Trees were removed because they were determined to be dead or dangerous, or because they were diseased and in decline. About 600 trees are planted annually in this program.

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Figure 2.

Arboriculture operating budget

Tree Culture

In the first two growing seasons after planting, street trees are watered and staking is maintained. Young trees are pruned to establish suitable structure and to direct growth. Two crews are assigned to young tree culture, each with one gardener, one pruner, and one laborer.

The Park Board has two 1800 gallon water trucks outfitted with pumps and a water wand. A watering crew is composed of a driver and a helper. Two watering crews usually water 35 to 50 trees per shift depending on the location of trees and planting density.

Pruning

The pruning work that is performed on street trees is clearance pruning and horticultural pruning. Horticultural pruning includes removal of dead, broken, crossing, and weak branches to enhance the overall health of the tree. There are three pruning crews, that is two bucket truck crews and one platform truck crew, and their work is divided among 10 management areas which cover the City. The pruning crews spend at least one month in each management area annually. On entering a management area, the first priority of the crews is to resolve outstanding service requests. About one-half of the operating budget is allocated to pruning.

The platform truck crew generally prunes small trees. The crew is composed of six pruners and laborers working from the ground. A chipper and chip truck, with driver and laborer, accompany the platform truck for clean up.

The bucket truck crews prune medium and large trees. The trucks have a 55 foot reach, and they are outfitted with hydraulic chain saws. The trucks have a chip box, and they have a chipper in tow. The crews are each composed of a driver/pruner and a helper, and the two crews prune about 6500 medium and large trees per year.

B.C. Hydro (ie. utility company) funds the pruning of street trees below utility lines for conductor clearance. Currently, B.C. Hydro contracts this pruning work to tree service companies. Pruning for other utilities such as the telephone company and the cable television company is funded by these organizations and performed by city arboriculture crews.

Within the street right-of-way, a limited amount of root pruning is undertaken in consultation with the Engineering Department when roots have invaded underground utilities. The first stage remedy is clearing clogged pipes, and the second stage remedy is the replacement of the clogged pipe with a new continuous pipe, all by the Engineering Department. Removal of portions of roots which have caused sidewalk heaving or curb displacement is performed by the Engineering Department. Estimates of the Engineering Department operating funds spent on tree related sidewalk/curb damage and sewer blockage are in the range of $900,000 per year.

Other Services

All conditions which pose a hazard to public safety arising from damage to street trees caused by vandalism, Acts of God, and declining tree health are rectified immediately.

The current pesticide use policy states that cultural, biological, and chemical methods of pest control will only be undertaken when the longterm viability of street trees is threatened. The Park Board has recently undertaken a small-scale test to determine the effectiveness of Bt and insecticidal soap in controlling an insect identified as the oak skeletonizer. The study is currently at an insect monitoring stage. A limited amount of “Bio-Sonic Disbursal” is performed by a local pest management firm to disburse flocks of starlings which roost in large street trees during the summer.

The Arboriculture Section maintains (ie. weeding, litter removal, pruning, and watering) some of the shrub plantings at the bases of designated street trees located in sidewalk cutouts and planting areas on commercial streets. About 30 sites are maintained.

The components of the removal program include removal of trees that have died or are in decline according to a schedule that minimizes public safety risk; removal of trees such as mountain ash, crab apples, hawthorns, and Modesto ash that are in decline as a result of disease infection, chipping of stumps left after tree removal, and boulevard restoration. About 500 trees are removed annually.

Communications with the public

The Park Board receives some 3000 street tree service requests each year from the public. Currently, most service requests involve pruning-related problems (over 35%), but others are removal and replacement requests (16%), damage notification (14%), surface displacement and sewer blockage due to roots (5%), insects (5%), and other problems like disease, decay, or poor appearance (25%).

Approximately 10% of these requests can be resolved on the telephone, and 90% are investigated by staff on a site visit. Of these investigations, 30% are acted upon on a priority basis, 20% are rejected because they involve actions (ie. removal, topping) that are too drastic for the problem, and the remainder are scheduled for attention over a longer period.

Some residents have made persistent requests for the drastic pruning or removal of trees due to a combination of the problems listed above as well as a desire to open up views and a dislike for the yard work related to trees (ie. raking leaves, leaves and seeds in gutters). The Park Board’s present policy with regard to these requests is to take action only if a tree is a safety hazard or is dead. The public is advised that radical pruning to reduce the size of a tree will leave it suseptible to disease and decay and will diminish it aesthetically. Further, the removal of healthy trees would only progressively reduce the total stock and run counter to the goal of increasing the number of street trees in the City.

On receipt of a service request by the public, the investigating foreman visits the site to determine the nature of the request, and the appropriate course of action that should be followed. The resident making the request is notified of the response in person, by message on a “door hanger” card, by phone, or by letter.

Residents of blocks that will have tree removal and replacement under the diseased tree program will receive letters, and a general street tree pamphlet with an insert card identifying the tree that will be planted. The same procedure is used on residential blocks designated for new planting. Opinions of residents are solicited by survey questionnaire when a range of reactions is anticipated, i.e., in cases of tree removal and pest control, and in some cases, tree planting.

Residents are asked to water young trees planted on the boulevard adjoining their house for at least the first two growing seasons. The initial request is stated in the general street tree pamphlet, and reminder notices are sent to residents in subsequent growing seasons through the media.

The Vancouver Park Board is currently developing a street tree management plan as a planning tool which documents the policies, programs, and guidelines which will ensure that existing funds and manpower are allocated effectively, and that the concerns of residents are addressed efficiently.