From the Park Bench
A Victoria Park Newsletter
Spring 2015
2015 55+ Winter Games a Success!
This past February the City of Charlottetown successfully hosted the 2015 Vogue Optical PEI 55+
Winter Games. A total of 575 participants competed in 20 different events held at various
locations throughout the City with over 180 participants competing in more than one event.
For more information about the 55+ Summer Games being held in Montague, visit pei55plusgamessociety.ca
or contact the 55+ Games office at 902 368-6570 or email [email protected]
Or visit their Facebook page at PEI 55+ Games Society
A Verdure of Living Beauty:
Arbor Day in Charlottetown
~ Story and photo by Ian Scott, Charlottetown
How did we come to have such wonderful elms in Charlottetown you might ask? Well the simple answer is - many hands
make light work, dig a bit deeper and a grand rural tradition across the Island emerges, using youthful vigour known simply as
“start ‘em young on chores.”
The year was 1860 and the town was more than rough around the edges. Our papers were asking, “is it not disgraceful that
the Public Square (Queen Square) which should be an ornament to the city, should present . . . the appearance of a farmer’s
pig pen or a cow shed?”
The call to action did start some planting that same year, but without much protection many trees were soon damaged. It was
not until the 24th of May, 1884 when the first Arbor Day was held and the newly formed Arbor Society tackled the job with 300
trees planted that first year. The list of participants on that Saturday was impressive as was the number of species they planted - 21 different varieties including bushes that would be valuable for birds. The Society defined which species were allowed
and the size required and someone was in charge of each public square.
But quickly it was realized that this noble
pursuit required more helpers and within
two years “It was deemed advisable to secure
the hearty cooperation of the Education authorities and the children of the public
schools.”
Saturday, May 8th 1886, was declared a public holiday and 1,000 children paraded
around the town to be addressed by the Lt.
Governor from the balcony of Province
House. Arbor Day continued to be observed
in the school system for decades. Programs
included recitations, singing, speeches, band
music, as well as tree planting. It was at one
such event that the Island Hymn by Lucy
Maud Montgomery was first performed in
1908.
1903 saw 200 trees planted under Mayor
Paton’s direction, to line Elm Avenue - what
is now known as University Avenue, running
from Allen Street to Euston Street.
All this effort was producing results and a New Brunswick paper in 1885 noticed that the, “desert waste known as Queen
Square . . . had been converted into a thing of beauty - a veritable oasis.”
Much credit for beautification should go to people like Arthur Newbery who showed personal dedication and being well
placed within the public service also helped him advance the beautification effort. Others like Henry Smith, planted many trees
personally, and as chairman of the Charlottetown School Board in 1921, he would recall the history of Arbor Day for the children assembled at Prince St. School:
“Thirty-seven years ago there were very few trees in the public squares or streets of Charlottetown. Today we see them all
around us as they are budding into leaf... These trees have transformed the city and clothed it in a verdure of living beauty. This
is all the result of one day in each year by the Arbor Society, and the teachers and pupils of our City Schools.” He concluded his
talk with describing our city as “one of the oldest and most beautiful cities in the Dominion of Canada.”
We have much to be thankful for - while elms remain an enduring legacy due to their impressive size and graceful shape we
can also thank the beautification founders for their emphasis on many varieties so that our urban canopy continues to be rich
in tree species.
Celebrating Arbor Day
The word Arbor Day comes from the Latin word arbor, meaning tree. Arbor Day is celebrated annually and is a
day that is dedicated to public tree planting and encourages people to care for trees.
The very first Arbor Day was held in a small Spanish town called Villanueva Sierra in 1805 and was inspired by a
local priest who “convinced of the importance of trees for health, hygiene, decoration, nature, environment and
customs, decided to plant trees and give a festive air.”
Arbor Day is now celebrated around the world. The date of the celebration varies depending on the climate and
suitable planting seasons. It is generally celebrated in the spring of the year and here, at the City of Charlottetown
we celebrate Arbor Day on the third Friday of every May. This tradition started back in 1884 on May 24th, when
110 trees were planted in Rochford Square.
Each year, the City of Charlottetown celebrates Arbor Day by inviting up to 200 elementary students to one of our
City parks to learn about environmental stewardship and have fun outdoors. The students spend the morning
planting trees, mulching trails and trees, removing invasive species, learning about urban wildlife and playing nature/environmental games.
Natal Day Community Tree Planting
The City is planning a community tree planting day in conjunction with Natal Day.
The planting event will take place in:
Connaught Square on June 13th, at 10 a.m. following the Pancake Breakfast.
We invite the public to come out and plant some trees!
There will be kids games and activities like Tree Tag and other nature related activities.
Please join us!
Tree Inventory
Over the past three years 14,997 trees have been planted within the City limits. All of these trees have been planted on public
property with the exception of Confederation Forest project at Upton Farm, a project being carried out by Macphail Woods
Ecological Forestry Project. With significant tree plantings happening each year, it becomes increasingly important that data is
being collected about our urban forest. This data, once analyzed, provides valuable information to help manage and maintain
a healthy urban forest.
This year the City applied for and received funding from Tree Canada and TD Friends of the Environment Foundation to carry
out a street tree inventory.
Information gathered through the tree inventory will give an overall picture of the health of Charlottetown’s urban forest and
provide the basis for:









developing a strategic tree planting plan
identify planting locations
calculating the percentage of each tree species present – helps to ensure we have a diverse and balanced number of
species
determining the age distribution of the City trees – successional planting can ensure that the urban forest does not
mature at the same time resulting in a loss of a large number of trees all at once
identifying areas where survival rates are poor – information will be used to ensure we are planting the right trees in
the right place. It will also identify environmental issues that are causing a loss of trees
identifying species have a low rate of survival – allows us to select more appropriate species that will survive the harsh
urban environment
helping to create a tree maintenance schedule = regular maintenance and efficient operations
providing information to develop management strategies for invasive pests – early detection and rapid response are
key to being successful (i.e. emerald ash borer, an insect that attacks only ash trees, is moving eastward. How many
ash do we have in the City?, where are they so we can monitor them?)
providing information to develop an urban forest management plan which engages, not only the City, but the community and all stakeholders in creating a healthy urban forest into the future
The inventory project will include:



contracting a professional tree care company to complete a street tree inventory
purchasing urban forest management software to create a database of the inventory information
analyzing the inventory data and using that information to make informed decisions about urban forest management and operational activities
 carrying out a sample inventory of parkland, woodland, buffer zones/riparian zones and hedgerow trees
 development of management plans for invasive species such as emerald ash borer
 carrying out community based projects to engage residents and businesses in our urban forest
About Tree Canada:
Tree Canada is a not-for-profit charitable organization established to encourage Canadians to plant and care for trees in urban and rural
environments. A winner of the Canadian Environmental Award (2007), Tree Canada engages Canadian companies, government agencies
and individuals to support the planting of trees, the greening of schoolyards, and other efforts to sensitize Canadians to the benefits of
planting and maintaining trees. To date, more than 80 million trees have been planted, more than 550 schoolyards have been greened, and
Tree Canada has organized 11 national urban forest conferences. More information about Tree Canada is available at treecanada.ca.
About TD Friends of the Environment Foundation:
From schoolyard naturalization and energy conservation, to tree plantings and environmental education, TD Friends of the Environment
Foundation (TD FEF) is proud to provide funding to help sustain an incredible array of grassroots environmental programs across the country. In 2014, TD FEF supported over 1,000 projects with $4.9 million in funding. Thousands of donors give to TD FEF on a monthly basis, and
TD Bank Group contributes in excess of $1 million annually. TD also covers the management costs of running TD FEF, which guarantees 100
per cent of every dollar donated funds environmental projects in the community in which the donation was made. For more information
on how to donate and get involved in your community, visit tdfef.com.
Need more information?… contact:
Beth Hoar, Parkland Conservationist, Parks and Recreation Department
902 892-3837 or [email protected]