Helping Summerside Stay Green
The City of Summerside strives to maintain the health and longevity of our urban forest, despite threats that have the potential to substantially reduce our tree population.
Some of these threats include:
- Dutch Elm Disease
- aging tree population
- environmental conditions
- Asian Long Horn Beetle
- Sudden Oak Death
- Emerald Ash borer
Urban Forestry Strategy
In developing an Urban Forestry Strategy, our main objective was to avoid future mass destruction of a tree population.
Our strategy therefore recommends:
- Planting several varieties of hardy tree species to ensure one specific disease or insect can not destroy our entire tree population
- Planting a diverse variety of tree species that are hardy to our climate and zone
- Planting trees in sustainable areas away from sidewalks and asphalt to avoid water stress in future years
- Developing maintenance strategies for trees planted under this program
Street Tree Planting Initiative
A partnership that will require a substantial commitment and partnership between the municipality and the business community, the objective of this initiative is to have 15 caliper sized trees (i.e., trees 40mm and greater in diameter) planted on City and private green space over the next five years.
Program Criteria:
- Tree planting locations will be conducted in grids including Summerside, St. Eleanors, and Wilmot by determining areas in the most need of trees.
- Tree planting will consist of a spring, summer, and fall schedule. Trees must be planted in spring and fall to correspond with nursery digging and when it is less stressful on the trees, increasing survival rates (e.g., April & October).
- A variety of tree species will be planted in order to diversify our current tree population.
What to Do if You Suspect Dutch Elm Disease
If you suspect that any of your private elm trees are infected with Dutch Elm Disease, contact us. It’s vital that infected trees be removed to prevent a more serious outbreak.
Call the City (902-432-1234) to arrange for our green space staff to prune or remove infected trees (please note: property owners are responsible for trucking and disposal costs).
Review the fact sheet (link below) to learn the signs of Dutch Elm Disease.
For more information, please contact:
Trent Williams
[email protected]
902-432-1234
511 Notre Dame St, Summerside, PE C1N 1T2
Related External Links
Dutch Elm Disease Fact Sheet