Fredericton begins replacing 1,000 trees lost in Storm Arthur

Hardest hit areas will get attention first with an additional 350 trees planted this year

CBC News Posted: Apr 29, 2015 12:52 PM AT Last Updated: Apr 29, 2015 12:52 PM AT

 

The City of Fredericton plans to plant 450 trees this spring and another 350 in the fall to replace some of the ones lost during post-tropical storm Arthur last July.

At least 1,000 city trees were lost in the storm that brought heavy rain and high winds. Murray puts the value of the trees at $1.2 million.

Don Murray, the city's manager of parks and trees, says the city will concentrate on planting trees in the areas that suffered the most damage from Arthur, including Douglas, Nashwaaksis, Skyline Acres and Lincoln Heights.

Of the trees lost in Arthur, 70 per cent of them were linden, tiia and ash trees.

Different species will be planted and not every location that lost a tree will get a new one.

"There's trees in certain locations that were planted 100 years ago that in today's modern city just can't survive there — the trees that were right on the corners and probably were obstructing traffic a bit," said Murray. "Those trees we won't be able to plant those again."

Fredericton typically plants 450 trees every spring, but Murray says an additional 350 trees will likely be planted in the fall, with that pattern continuing for the next three or four years.