A disturbing trend is developing in Saanich. Trees are beginning to die off at an alarming rate.
Recent weather on Vancouver Island has lead to drought-like conditions that are taking a huge toll on our urban forests.
Andrew Burger, Manager of Park Operations with Saanich says the district's cedars are turning out to be some of the most vulnerable.
“25 to 35-year-old trees, we’re starting to see complete die offs,” said Burger. “It starts with a browning of needles from the tops of the trees or the outsides until the point where it’s a complete tree death.”
It’s also turning out to be a fairly slow death.
Trees are having a very hard time recovering from summer drying conditions because the island is just not getting the winter precipitations like it used to, according to Saanich.
It's a problem that's been noticed on the municipality's streets and boulevards.
In the past, when a tree was planted, the municipality would continue to water it for the first three to five years of it’s life while weening the water routine from weekly to bi-weekly to monthly. Now, those watering cycles can last up to seven years and sometimes, even mature trees are being watered.
“Everyone always tells us to 'plant more trees, plant more trees,' and you know that’s the easy part,” said Burger.
“It’s keeping them alive and getting them to maturity, that’s the difficult part.”
This year, Saanich has had to improve its watering tools. The municipality has purchased two new watering trucks and have added drip-irrigation systems to some of the hardest hit areas.
Moving forward, Saanich plans to continue planting trees throughout its urban forests. However, the municipality is looking to plant more drought-tolerant trees that will be able to handle changing weather patterns.
