Strathmore’s urban forest branches out
By Sean Feagan, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Plans are underway to make Strathmore greener, one tree at a time.
The Town of Strathmore was awarded a $24,400 TD Green Space Grant to support tree plantings within the town, following an application made by town Councillor Jason Montgomery.
The grant program, provided through the Arbor Day Foundation, supports green infrastructure development, tree planting, forestry stewardship and community green space expansion in municipalities in the U.S. and Canada. The 2020 theme for the program relates to using green infrastructure to counteract the urban heat island effect, which refers to the tendency of cities and towns to be warmer than surrounding rural areas.
“This grant demonstrates TD Canada’s commitment to improving the lives and environment of people all across Canada, which is even more remarkable as they did not limit it to only places that have a local TD branch,” said Montgomery.
According to the terms of the grant, the town must plant and maintain a minimum of 150 trees (anything larger than a seedling), manage and educate volunteers about tree planting, care and maintenance, allow participation by TD Bank employees, and provide two years of maintenance and care for the trees. The project must be completed by Nov. 30, 2020.
Strathmore town council and administration are working to determine how the funds will be allocated, with the last discussion being held in-camera during the July 22 council meeting. However, in a report included in the July 8 council agenda package, town administration recommended that part of the funding be put towards 79 trees planned as part of the town hall project, some be planted as a shelter belt or copse at the north end of Strathmore Lakes, and about 20 trees be installed on the north side of the greenspace east of Centre Ave., just west of Ranch Estates, which was the site selected for the grant application.
Another effort to expand Strathmore’s urban forest, also led in part by Montgomery, tentatively called the “14 Thousand Tree Initiative,” is in preliminary planning phases.
“The idea behind it is to plant a new tree or bush for each resident of Strathmore over a near- to medium-term timeline,” said Montgomery. “The trees and bushes that will count towards this goal can be planted on either public or private land, and I am working on the details regarding some kind of tax credit that will be made available for people who plant trees on their private property.”
The initiative is intended to be led by the community, rather than the Town of Strathmore, using volunteer labour and planning to conduct “planting blitzes” at various times throughout the year. “Use of town resources will be kept to a minimum so there will not be additional costs borne by taxpayers, and therefore, volunteers will be greatly needed to make this successful,” noted Montgomery.
Strathmore’s prairie climate makes careful planning for planting initiatives essential to their success, said Rob Pirie, chairperson of Strathmore Communities in Bloom (CIB). “I would argue that we have a much more challenging situation here than they do in the northern part of the province where trees grow somewhat more naturally than down here,” he said.
But despite this challenge, planting and maintaining an urban forest is important for towns such as Strathmore.
“It enhances the value of properties (and) it improves the quality of life,” said Pirie, who added that CIB has been “standing at the sidelines, waving pom poms and encouraging” the town- and resident-led initiative.
The pandemic has slowed down planning, but Montgomery and others are looking to ramp things back up.
“The next step will be for the town to identify sites that can be allocated to this, and the search for funding for trees is ongoing,” he said.
Residents wanting to help by donating or lending a hand with planning or executing the initiative are encouraged to contact Montgomery at 403-901-7244 or by email (jason.montgomery@strathmore.ca).