The splashes of orange, yellow and reds on our trees that mark autumn’s arrival are a beautiful splash of colour before winter’s white descends on us. The big orange dots marking trees throughout Riverview, and the rest of Winnipeg, are a much more concerning sight. Riverview has lost hundreds of trees in recent years, and those orange dots indicate that many more are slated to be removed due to increased disease and pests. A new community group, Trees Riverview, was formed last spring by some concerned residents to address this threat to our community tree canopy.
Grant received
Now, Trees Riverview has received a grant for $14,441 from the City of Winnipeg’s Land Dedication Reserve Fund (Fort Rouge-East Fort Garry Ward allocation) for a tree planting project in Riverview. The grant was approved by Executive Policy Committee on September 21. The planting project as proposed by Trees Riverview will cover the costs of hiring a contractor to purchase, plant, maintain and water 20-25 boulevard trees for two years. Planting is expected to take place in spring 2021. Together with staff from the city’s Urban Forestry Branch, we have identified planting locations for 22 trees to replace those lost on three blocks of Baltimore Road alone. These trees will be in addition to any trees planted by the City of Winnipeg.
Thanks
Many thanks to Sherri Rollins, City Councillor for Fort-Rouge East Fort Garry, and her staff, who have championed this project, and provided support on the proposal and next steps. We’re grateful for her support!
Get involved in Trees Riverview
Trees Riverview also plans to offer residents the opportunity to donate money for additional tree(s) to be planted in Fisher Park. These trees would be included in the scope of work for the approved contractor. More details to follow.
This is just the first step in what we hope will become a much bigger project in years to come. Our mandate is to:
1) provide accurate education and information to residents to preserve and enhance our neighbourhood-defining tree canopy
2) directly contribute to tree-planting initiatives on our boulevards
3) advocate for effective policies and procedures that facilitate increased neighbourhood tree planting.
If you would like to receive regular updates or get involved, please send an email to
TreesRiverview@gmail.com.
Participate in Winnipeg Urban Forest Strategy
Winnipeg is currently preparing the Winnipeg Urban Forest Strategy that will provide a 20-year vision and strategy for Winnipeg’s urban tree canopy. If you would like to contribute to this vision and plan, please visit https://engage.winnipeg.ca/urbanforest to take the survey, explore a tree mapping tool and participate in discussion groups. Deadline is November 1, 2020.
An orange dot marking a local tree. Photo by May Wady
Tree canopy arching over a Riverview street. Photo by May Wady