Ten more young trees recently joined dozens of others in a Clean North tree plantation. This site is just south of Wellington Street east, between Emmaus Anglican Church and the former Sir James Dunn Collegiate and Vocational School footprint.
“Planting trees has been part of Clean North’s mission for many years,” says Don McGorman, the organization’s volunteer coordinator. “We see urban tree planting as a high-value environmental activity for several reasons: Trees help keep our cities cooler in summer, provide important habitat for urban wildlife and insects, and help fight climate change by taking in carbon as they grow.”
Urban tree cover has even been associated with reduced crime rates.
What tree species is Clean North planting?
The trees that Clean North volunteers just planted include 9 tamarack and 1 black walnut. That might not seem like a lot of trees, but it takes a long time and a lot of sweat to dig a hole at their chosen site, which has very rocky soil.
Don notes that other tree species have been planted here as well, such as aspen, white birch, red oak, white pine, and norway spruce.
“When you are planting trees in an urban landscape, it’s wise to plant more than one type,” says Clean North volunteer and tree planter Bill Cole, a retired forest research scientist. “A diverse forest has more resilience to stressors like pests and disease. If you plant only oaks and an oak disease comes through, you can lose every tree, and bingo, your patch of woods is gone. By planting multiple species, you reduce the risk of losing all your trees at one time.”
This site is convenient for Don and his volunteers to maintain as it is next to the community garden at Emmaus Anglican Church, where Clean North has a vegetable bed and access to water. This allows newly planted trees to be kept hydrated, an increasingly tough challenge as climate change is giving us hotter, dryer summers.
Think you want to plant trees? What you need to know….
Over the years, Don has been involved in many community tree plants. He will be the first to tell you that too often, the time, money, and effort invested in tree planting goes down the drain. He’s seen plantations of 500 trees with not a single tree left alive after five years! How does this happen?
- Unsuitable site: Tree species are not well matched to the site – the soil is too sandy, too clay-ey, too dry, too wet; too shady or too open (some species actually prefer a bit of shade when young); or in a location where grounds crews unknowingly damage the trees’ stems via mowing/weed control or where vandalism is common.
- Poor planting practices: The planting hole is too small to allow roots to grow, trees are planted too deep or not deep enough, the stem is damaged by shovels during planting, or mulch is piled against the stem.
- Lack of care: Trees are planted and then left. Or planted, looked after for a season or two, then forgotten. Small trees that experience repeated periods of extreme heat/moisture stress or mower damage can perish quickly.
- Competition: Trees may be forced to share too much water and nutrients with wildflowers, shrubs, and grasses coming up around them.
- Predators: Many critters love to eat young trees — caterpillars and other insects, rodents, deer, rabbits.
- Diseases: Young, newly planted trees can be especially vulnerable to tree diseases. For example, young white pines growing in the open are prone to invasive blister rust.
Bottom line: Trees are like children. They require protection and a long-term commitment. You can’t just plant them and leave. You need a plan!
Planning tree planting
Questions to ask yourself/your tree planting crew as you make a tree planting plan:
- What’s the soil on our site like — sand, loam, clay; acidic or alkaline?
- How dry/wet is the site?
- Is it shaded, partly shaded, or open?
- What tree species are adapted to the conditions at our site?
- Do I want a fast-growing tree for quick shade (tend to be shorter lived) or a slow grower that lives longer?
- Are there any overhead or buried lines, existing large trees/shrubs, or other obstacles to planting/growth?
- How close is my desired planting place to my home or garage or other structures?
- If I wish to plant a conifer tree, how wide does it get? Will it fit in the location once full grown?
- Is my tree species of choice likely to drop branches or a lot of seed or will it result in many undesired seedlings coming up all over my yard? (Maple is famous for this.)
- Do I need permission to plant at my chosen site?
- Who needs to be made aware of newly planted trees to prevent things like mower damage?
- What time of year is best to plant the species I chose?
- Who/how will we keep the tree(s) watered, control the weeds, and protect the stem(s) from mowers/weed trimmers over the long term (at least 5-10 years)?
How to plant trees
When to plant
It’s possible to plant a tree at any time during the growing season. However, if you are unable to provide constant care, planting in early spring or fall is much better. The obvious advantage is reduced risk of extreme heat and moisture stress. However, trees planted in fall can die, too, especially if they go into winter with dry roots.
Choosing site and species
- Choose your planting location carefully. Make sure the species you’ve chosen is/are suited to the soil type and pH, water is available, and trees have room to grow to their expected mature size above and on all sides without creating issues.
- Avoid planting trees so close together that they eventually stunt each other’s growth.
- Choose tree species carefully to make sure they work for your objectives (aesthetics, shade, habitat, privacy, etc.).
- Keep in mind that native species are better adapted to our conditions, with trees grown from local seed being optimal. Also, some non-native species do not support our birds and insects. Norway maple, for example, is an ecological desert. Birds fly into these trees and then fly right out again because there’s nothing for them to eat in there.
- Be cautious about what species you plant close to a house, garage, driveway, sidewalk, or other structures and observe where trees will cast shade once mature. For example, plant weeping willows well away from foundations and water/sewer lines.
- Make sure you have permission to plant on the chosen site and notify all relevant people (for example, grounds crews at a school/institution/office building).
- Get a utility line locate before digging!
On tree planting day
- When preparing to plant, wear proper safety equipment (work gloves, closed-toe shoes, safety or sunglasses, etc.) and assemble all equipment, including water.
- Dig a hole that is 2-3 times wider than the tree’s root ball. Slash the sides and bottom of the hole to aid roots in penetrating the surrounding soil.
- Plant each tree so the soil line hits the stem at the same place that the soil in the pot did.
- Fill in the rest of the hole with soil. You can use soil from the hole or better yet, soil mixed with compost.
- Watch your shovel! Avoid whacking the tree stem while returning soil to the hole.
- Gently pack down the soil around the tree and add more soil as needed. Use your hand to pat down the soil around the tree roots; with the foot, it’s easy to compact the soil too much.
- Water the tree well.
- If the soil settles more after watering, add more soil as needed to ensure the base of the stem is planted at the same level as the surrounding soil (strive for level rather than a mound or depression).
- Form a small ridge around the edge of where you dug the hole to stop water flowing away from the roots.
- Ideally, apply mulch 2-4 inches deep in a doughnut shape around the tree. Do not pile mulch right up against the stem! Make the mulch ring at least as wide as the tree crown to help control weeds and conserve soil moisture.
- Keep freshly planted trees well watered for at least a week after planting. Then water slowly and deeply once a week during dry spells.
- Avoid fertilizing the first year.
- Avoid staking unless the planting site gets strong winds or the soil is shallow. Avoid staking for more than a year to reduce risk of bark damage from the staking rope.
- Read up on how and when to prune the species you are planting to ensure optimal form and a strong, healthy tree.
- Prevent injuries to the tree stem or foliage from lawn tools, children, pets, etc. Dog pee, for example, can kill young trees through ammonia toxicity.
- Ensure long-term care. If you are sidelined, who will look after the tree(s) in a year, five years, 10 years?
Got questions about planting trees?
Contact us at info@cleannorth.org.
