No heavy losses to Edmonton's urban forest despite stormy weather

Despite a week of thunderstorms and plenty of strong winds, the city says it hasn't seen excessive damage to Edmonton's urban forest.

"There hasn't been damage over and above what we typically see with this number of storms," said Crispin Wood, management supervisor of urban forestry.

Residents who see downed or damaged trees can report them by calling 311. The city will dispatch a crew to clean any deadfall or to inspect damaged trees, Wood said.

"We want to go out and visit the tree, we want to inspect them to make sure they are safe and sound and healthy and if there is any surgery required. We want to take a look at the balance of the tree, and the structure of the tree, to identify if there are any potential future hazards or anything of concern to the health of the tree, and address those in a timely manner."

Wood said residents are encouraged to called the 311 line to report any damage they see.

"We would address it probably at minimum within an eight-hour period," he said. "But we could likely address it quite a bit sooner. Often we can have a crew out there within an hour."

The city's active pruning program helps keep the urban forest in good health, Wood said.

"People should actually be very proud of the urban forest. Given how far north this city is, to have an urban canopy as large as this city does, and as many large, healthy trees as the city does, is quite remarkable, given the cold climate here."

Crews assess trees on one side of the city each year to identify dead or dying trees, and mark them with pink paint. The goal is to have them removed by the end of the season, Wood said.

To replace those lost, the city plants about 3,000 trees each year.