Some Peterborough residents are upset that city-owned trees on the easement portion of their property, such as a boulevard beside a sidewalk, have been removed with no prior notice or explanation from the city.

That includes several residents in an East City neighbourhood who, earlier this week, were surprised and alarmed when arborist crews appeared and began taking down several mature trees that appeared to be healthy.

According to an email from Bob Pitchford, operations manager of public works for the City of Peterborough, trees are being removed that the city’s urban forestry technologists have identified as hazards. The city has 20 to 25 contracted arborist crews that are working to remove the identified trees based on a list provided to them by city staff.

While the work is being done as part of the city’s response to the damage caused by the ice storm at the end of March, trees may be removed for reasons other than ice storm damage.

“Trees are not being removed based on how much damage they suffered as a result of the ice storm,” Pitchford says. “They are being actioned based on the overall tree health and level of risk they pose. We have identified several trees requiring removal due to high likelihood of failure despite suffering no storm damage. This has only been the initial risk assessment process and a more thorough and in-depth tree risk assessment is still yet to come.”

Pitchford says the city does not remove healthy trees “under any circumstance” — only trees that are badly damaged or “found to be in a high likelihood of failure.”

“If the tree was in good health and suffered minimal damage then a pruning order was issued to simply prune out storm damage and improve the overall health of the tree,” Pitchford says.

A foreman of one of the city-contracted crews told kawarthaNOW that crews have the discretion to remove a tree that has a pruning order if they determine the tree is a hazard. According to Pitchford, the reverse is also true.

“The contractors in the field have the skills and ability to prune a tree that is slated for removal should they feel the tree can be saved, and vice versa — they can remove a tree that is slated to be pruned if they feel the damage is too extensive.”

Prior to the work beginning, the city did not issue a media release, and Pitchford says no advance notice will be provided to residents who will lose trees. He notes the city is not following the normal process where an orange dot is sprayed on the trunk of a tree that will be removed.

“Given the mass volume of trees we are dealing with post-ice storm, we have not taken the time to paint each tree slated for removal,” says Pitchford, adding that — aside from marking trees to be removed — the city does not normally provide any formal notice to residents when a tree is slated for removal, with the exception of ash trees which are part of a special program.

“We are simply actioning trees as fast as possible to reduce the likelihood of failure and to best manage our level of risk.”

For residents who have had a city-owned tree removed, Pitchford says the city normally replaces every tree within two to three years from removal. According to the city’s website, stump grinding takes place the year after removal and replanting the following spring or fall.

“Having said that, these are not normal operations and the city cannot provide timelines on the lengthy process ahead of us, with over 3,500 service requests and possibly over a thousand of those being removals,” he says. “This process will take time but we continue to make every effort to complete the process as quickly as possible.”

Pitchford says the city’s urban forestry technologists have also inspected trees in city-owned parks, marking trees slated for removal with a diagonal slash and those requiring pruning with a line and arrow.

In a median of the parking lot at Beavermead Park, at least 12 mature trees have been removed, all of which were ash trees ranging from poor to moderate to good condition.

“The city of Peterborough has a duty of care to provide within our urban forestry canopy and we take every measure to ensure we maintain the tree canopy in a manner to mitigate risk and liability,” Pitchford says.

There is a great wave of national pride running through Canada right now. The maple leaf seems to be everywhere.

At GreenUP Ecology Park, not only will there be great maple trees available for purchase at the native plant and tree nursery opening on Saturday (May 17), but this five-acre urban oasis also features something else that ties Canada together: the Trans Canada Trail.

The Trans Canada Trail is the longest multi-use trail system in the world, touching three oceans and joining 15,000 rural, urban, and Indigenous communities together. It connects each one of the provinces and territories, including a section on Baffin Island, Nunavut.

Ecology Park is home to a small section of this iconic 28,000-kilometre (and growing) trail system — and its tree canopy, which has suffered in recent years.

First, Emerald ash borer killed all local ash trees, which was once the most dominant species within the park. In 2022, the historic derecho levelled many beautiful stately trees, roots and all. Then just this past March, the ice storm damaged or destroyed even more of the thinning canopy.

While this level of climate-related decline is disheartening, GreenUP is determined to replant and improve the resiliency of Ecology Park.

“With recent storms and the ongoing biodiversity crisis, it’s clear that we need to act to protect the future of our beautiful region,” says GreenUP executive director Tegan Moss.

This year, GreenUP will be working with friends at the Trans Canada Trail to enhance the urban forest throughout Ecology Park. The initiative will see 12 large specimen trees and two large specimen shrubs planted along the trail, and the installation of educational signage describing what makes these trees so special.

Beginning this spring, species planted will include familiar trees such as black walnut, black cherry, and American mountain ash, as well as rare and showy Carolinian species such as the rare cucumber magnolia, eastern redbud, and pawpaw.

In the cooler fall months, planting will continue with a large variety of smaller bareroot stock throughout the naturalized areas of the park. Species will include the famous Canadian sugar maple, bur oak, trembling aspen, hackberry, and black chokeberry.

“We are grateful to the Trans Canada Trail for working with GreenUP to restore and identify rare and significant native trees in Ecology Park,” Moss says.

Volunteers are invited to help plant the many large stature trees along the Trans Canada Trail on June 10 and 11, or to help with the bareroot plantings on October 14 and 15. Applications are available at greenup.on.ca/volunteer/.

The community can also participate in upcoming stewardship events, workshops, and volunteer opportunities through GreenUP’s Ecology Park 2025 Stewardship Series. From invasive species removal to pollinator garden design, tree tours to seed collecting, there is something for everyone. Updates will be posted at greenup.on.ca/events/ as details unfold.

For those wishing to enhance biodiversity at home, GreenUP Little Forest Kits are now available for purchase at greenup.on.ca/little-forests-kits/. Each kit comes with everything needed to start a 16 square-metre little dense forest ecosystem, including 56 trees and shrubs.

Each young tree tucked into the soil can be an inspiration and a source of pride. Renewing the canopy along the Trans Canada Trail links local environmental stewardship to a coast-to-coast ribbon of green. Whether in your own back yard or as a volunteer at Ecology Park, GreenUP believes that caring for the land is a Canadian tradition that everyone can learn to participate in.

GreenUP’s Ecology Park Native Plant and Tree Nursery carries a large stock of trees, shrubs, wildflowers, grasses, sedges, and ferns, along with a healthy dose of friendly advice.

The nursery opens for the 2025 season on Saturday, May 17 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and will subsequently be open Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. until October.

The Ecology Park Trans Canada Trail Tree Planting project was funded in part by a grant from Trans Canada Trail, along with generous donations from the community. Donations to GreenUP Ecology Park can be made at https://greenup.on.ca/donate-now/.

With the theme of “Roll, Stroll, and Celebrate!”, the City of Peterborough has announced this year’s Canada Day celebrations — and they won’t include the traditional Canada Day parade.

Instead, there will be a “community procession” departing from City Hall at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, July 1 and proceeding to Millennium Park for a full afternoon of family-friendly festivities.

“We’re reimagining Canada Day as a day of shared reflection, connection, and celebration through community, culture, and creativity,” reads a media release from the city.

“The community procession is an inclusive and informal walk open to individuals, families, and local organizations who wish to walk, bike, or roll from City Hall to the park together,” the release states. “Please note that this is not a traditional parade and no motorized vehicles or large floats are permitted.”

Also unlike previous years, there will be no family activities at Confederation Square, which traditionally took place for a couple of hours before the parade began at noon. Instead, there will be a full afternoon of music, performances, food, cultural activities, and family programming at Millennium Park from noon until 6 p.m.

However, there will still be a decorated bike contest during the morning community procession “for participants of all ages,” with prizes awarded for the most creative and playful designs.

According to the city, the afternoon activities at Millennium Park will include live performances by local artists and entertainers, kids’ activities and family zones, food and beverage vendors hosted by the Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area (DBIA), and interactive cultural displays and information booths.

“Canada Day 2025 emphasizes accessibility, inclusion, and sustainability, featuring local talent, community organizations, and diverse cultural programming that reflects the spirit of Peterborough,” the release states.

The city is encouraging performers, arts and crafts vendors, and food and beverage vendors who want to participate in the afternoon’s activities at Millennium Park to apply by 4 p.m. on Friday, May 30 at peterborough.ca/canadaday.

After the festivities at Millennium Park, Peterborough Musicfest will be presenting a city-sponsored free admission concert at 8 p.m. at Del Crary Park.

The concert be followed by a fireworks display over Little Lake at 9:30 p.m.

The city will also be hosting a free outdoor movie night at dusk on Monday, June 30 at Quaker Foods City Square, with the movie to be announced.

The city’s “reimagining” of Canada Day celebrations comes a year after city staff recommended the cancellation of the 2024 Canada Day parade due to continued declining participation, proposing using the parade’s $20,000 budget for other activities instead, such as family-friendly events at Millennium Park and Del Crary Park and an evening fireworks event following the Peterborough Musicfest concert.

City council rejected the staff recommendation, approving the parade to continue for another year until staff could report back to council on the results of the 2024 parade.

Although city staff conducted a survey asking residents for feedback on 2025 Canada Day celebrations, stating that “feedback collected through this survey will help inform recommendations for city council for the 2025 Canada Day celebration,” kawarthaNOW is unaware of any staff recommendations that were brought forward in 2025 for city council’s consideration.