Article content continued

But Copeland said many of the trees on York Street are not in great shape.

“It’s not necessarily unusual that the trees would be removed due to health and construction issues,” he said.

And those trees – not just the ones on York Street, but all 170 coming down this year – will be replaced, although not always in equal numbers. Sometimes, there are more trees replanted than removed, or the reverse, depending on conditions.

Dean Sheppard, executive director of ReForest London, said he’s less concerned about the number of trees removed on York Street than the care with which they’re replaced.

“How many trees are they going to be able to put in the reconstructed area and how will we make sure they’re healthy? If they don’t plant them in a different way, they won’t do anything. They will just look like crap for a decade until they die,” he said, pointing to the heat, expanse of concrete, and little moisture.

“Most trees in a concrete environment like York Street are doing very poorly. No one wants to lose a tree, but a tree that is a very damaged or stunted and hasn’t done much for 10 years, isn’t really that big of a loss.”

Copeland said city hall is using new planting techniques in an attempt to give trees planted downtown “a fighting chance.”

That includes replanting trees on York Street with a new system.

“New trees will have a dedicated soil cell for them to grow in, instead of being squeezed with concrete and other duct work,” Copeland said. “We’re trying to be more intelligent about how we’re planting trees in the downtown core.”