It’s a sign that spring is near.
As part of the street tree maintenance program, the City of Campbell River will prune London plane trees along Shoppers Row and Pier Street sidewalks next weekend.
The pruning is set for February 27th and 28th, from 8:00 am till dusk on both days.
During this work, the City says tree trimming equipment will temporarily take up parking spaces, and sidewalk areas could be briefly closed when branches are being cut.
“Our London plane trees are beautiful in the summer, but they also need some work,” says deputy city manager Ron Neufeld. “We’re going to be doing what’s called ‘pollarding’ to them again this year.”
Neufeld says crews will be out cutting branches to control the size of the trees and their canopies. This helps to promote dense foliage and sturdier branches to withstand high winds.
“We do expect though that the trees will be back out in full leaf by early summer, and all other downtown street trees will be pruned using regular methods,” he adds.
Because downtown street trees are part of the ‘urban forest,’ city manager Deborah Sargent says: “the benefits of this significant community investment include carbon emissions capture, shade, cooler temperatures and the attractive streetscape.”
