Tree of the Week showcases some of the biggest and most beautiful trees in the GTA, as compiled by Megan Ogilvie. Here, David Crawford makes the case for celebrating the city’s not-so-pretty trees, specifically the unusually proportioned tree of heaven at the corner of Richmond St. E. and Ontario St. in Old Town Toronto.

The trees noted in the Tree of the Week series have so far been magnificent examples.

But I believe there is also reason to celebrate the less magnificent, the unusual and, frankly, the weird trees growing in our city.

These are trees that have survived where none should, or that have clearly been injured and abused, yet continue to provide shade and shelter and are, in their own way, beautiful.

One such tree that meets the survivor criteria is the tree of heaven (a species native to China) growing on the corner of Richmond St. E. and Ontario St.

From the size of its lower trunk — measured around its various burls (growths), it has a circumference of 3.96 m (156 inches) — it is quite old, and it was clearly a mature tree in 1972, according to a City of Toronto photo.

This weirdly shaped tree still provides summer shade and homes for birds and squirrels, despite obvious signs of injury and disease. And, over the years, it has grown around and absorbed several metal fence posts into its knotty trunk.

Recently, it has been marked with orange paint, suggesting that its days are numbered.

Trees like this should remind us all that it is not just magnificent or beautiful trees (or people) that are important and useful and can give pleasure. The strange and the weird have their own beauty and are often examples of resilience.

When I walk past this tree, as I do every week or so, I am reminded that “beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” I believe this tree is beautiful in its own way. Let’s celebrate this old warrior before it is gone.

Note: According to staff in the city’s urban forestry department, the tree of heaven at 75 Ontario St. is scheduled to be removed by spring due to its unsafe condition “as a result of decay to the trunk.” The tree will be removed earlier should its condition “present an immediate hazard.”

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