Charlottetown's Victoria Row is losing 4 trees

Four trees on Charlottetown's tourism hot spot Victoria Row are being removed by city staff today because they're so rotted they're a safety hazard, a parkland conservationist with the city says.

The street in the city's downtown, near the Confederation Centre ofthe Arts and lined with shops and restaurants,is heavily featured in Charlottetown's promotional materials. During the warmer months, it becomes a pedestrian mall.

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Beth Hoar, the conservationist, said the trees have cavities and other decay that has led to moisture seeping into the bark. One of the trees recently lost a limb.

"Looking at all the structural issues that those four trees have, we decided that they are a safety hazard so we are going to remove them," she said.

Streetscape will change

Two of the trees are Lindens at the corner of Victoria Row and Queen Street, on the side nearest the library. The other two are Norway Maples near Fishbones Oyster Bar and Grill. The trees are a prominent part of Fishbones' summer patio.

"In the summer, the cover, the shade will definitely be changed, but being that the trees are really a safety hazard it's best to take them out, and that way we're not going to damage any infrastructure and we keep the people safe who are using that street," Hoar said.

The Lindens are more than 50 years old and the Norway Maples are likely between 25 and 30 years old, she said.

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Hoar said the city sometimes has a carver retrieve the lost wood and has talked about setting up a wood storage site so people can use it. But in this case the tree is likely heading to a landfill.

"These particular trees have so much rot in them I don't believe that it be very good wood to use for furniture or projects such as that," she said.

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