What’s the point of putting up a fence around a tree to protect it from construction, if you fill it with garbage from the job site?

It’s a question that comes to mind when considering the appalling amount of trash and debris piled inside a fenced-off area around a tree at a cramped job site on Craighurst Ave., near Yonge St. and Lawrence Ave.

The city makes tree protection a high priority, as a means of ensuring that the urban canopy flourishes to provide oxygen, shade and enough greenery to soften the harshness of the concrete jungle.

Applications for construction permits “must include a Tree Protection Plan that shows details of tree protection, prepared in conjunction with an arborist report or in consultation with an arborist, when protected trees are in proximity to the proposed work.

“If the full minimum tree protection zone cannot be provided, a permit to injure the tree must be obtained.”

Anybody in the building business in Toronto knows these rules, which makes the wilful ignorance on Craighurst even more egregious.

Doug Paterson sent us a note and photos about “the complete lack of consideration for a tree on our street which is protected by the city tree protection zone.

“The construction crew has thrown waste and garbage into the area and has actually torn down part of the barrier.

“In this instance the lot size is very small and the building going up is large. This leaves very little room for the construction team to get rid of their waste. On our street we see this more often than not.”

We went there and found that a large new house is being squeezed into a small property near Craighurst and Duplex Ave., with only a tiny front yard to store the detritus from the project.

But that’s no excuse for piling junk inside the fence put up to protect the tree, especially considering the number of tear-downs followed by new home construction on small lots on upscale streets like Craighurst.

STATUS: We’ve asked urban forestry, which enforces tree protection rules, to send an inspector to remind the bozos in charge why it requires the tree protection zone to be kept clear of junk. We got a reply Sunday, saying the issue has been “forwarded to our Manager of Tree Protection and Plan Review for further investigation.”

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