A city councillor says reports of iconic cherry blossom trees going extinct in Victoria are unfounded.
Council recently approved a spending increase of more than $800,000 for its Urban Forest Master Plan, in hopes of increasing the city's canopy from 18 per cent to 40 per cent.
As part of the plan, some non-native cherry blossom trees suffering from drought and disease due to climate change could be replaced with native and drought-resistant species.
But reports that the cherry blossoms could be lost entirely are simply untrue, according to Coun. Laurel Collins.
"It was disappointing that the thing that got picked up was so misleading," Collins told CTV News Tuesday. "That when we're actually investing in managing, protecting and expanding our urban forests, what got communicated out was something completely untrue, which was that we're cutting down all the cherry trees."
Collins has since spoken with the city's parks director who confirmed that some cherry trees could be replaced in locations that are hit particularly hard by drought, but the trees will continue to be planted in areas where they'll thrive.
"If the cherry tree isn't going to be viable there, they're going to choose to plant a different species," Collins said. "In areas where they are viable, they're continuing to plant flowering cherry trees and flowering plum trees."
Mayor Lisa Helps also clarified the city's stance Monday, saying other native flowering trees could replace cherry blossoms that are removed to maintain aesthetics.
"Over the next 50 to 60 years, I think people will still see, on many of our streets, the cherry trees," said Helps.
The mayor also wrote a blog post Monday pushing back against reports that all the trees would be removed.
" The fact is that there is no plan to systematically remove cherry trees, never to plant another in the city," she wrote.
Collins said if it reaches a point where city staff's recommendation is to phase out the iconic trees, council "would be engaged in that discussion in advance," and public input would factor in as well.
"The city is going to retain its cherry blossom heritage and the beauty and cultural significance that come with these trees," she said. "We're also going to be implementing best practices."
Collins said she and Coun. Jeremy Loveday are introducing a motion in Thursday's council meeting to clarify the city's policy on cherry blossoms and recognize their historic importance.
More than 1,000 cherry trees were donated to the city by the Japanese community in the 1930s.
Collins said she and Loveday would also introduce a motion asking Helps to write a letter to the Nikkei Cultural Centre to express appreciation for the historic gift, and clarify that the city won't be removing all of the cherry blossoms.
