WiddleBittyKitty
Felis catus
London Plane. Not English Plain, not plan. Why is that so hard?
Toronto Bloor Street Revitalization | ?m | ?s | Bloor-Yorkville BIA | architectsAlliance
buildup
Senior Member
you must be a riot at dinner parties...
gregv
Active Member
http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/0...bloor-now-almost-half-are-dead/?__federated=1
Peter Kuitenbrouwer: Three years ago $20M was spent planting London Plane trees along Bloor. Now almost half are dead
In 2003 I lunched on Bloor Street with James Brown and Kim Storey, of Brown + Storey Architects, to discuss their plan to reimagine Canada’s premier shopping strip. I observed then that, “The most well-dressed shoppers in town would prefer strolling down something a bit more elegant than a thin strip of cement speckled with graffiti-covered newspaper boxes, the occasional desultory flowerpot and scrawny trees strangled by electrical wiring wrapped around their trunks.”
“They’re weeds, they are not trees,” Mr. Brown told me then, pointing to some sad saplings in front of William Ashley. “They are boreal victims. The Germans call them broomsticks.”
In 2007 workers tore up the street for a $20-million rethink, of which merchants paid $10-million and the city $10-million. Backhoes dug holes two metres deep and workers planted 134 London Plane trees. The work dragged on for four years; the street, with new granite, flowers and trees, reopened in 2011.
Unfortunately, three years later there is bad news on Bloor.
On Tuesday I walked on Bloor from Avenue Road to Church Street and back, to inventory the London Plane trees, planted at great expense in specially designed and irrigated tree pits. Of the trees, 79 are alive and 55 are dead. And that is after the Bloor-Yorkville BIA paid to replace 19 dead trees this spring.
Three dead trees sit in front of the Royal Bank at Yonge and Bloor. Nine trees are dead in front of William Sonoma and Pottery Barn Kids. Five are dead in front of Hugo Boss, Guess and Porsche Design. (I was generous with my categories; many of the trees I count as ‘alive’ are clinging to life. Few are healthy enough to provide much shade.)
What happened?
Briar de Lange, general manager of the Bloor-Yorkville BIA, blames our harsh winter.
“It’s not just London Planes on Bloor,” says Ms. de Lange. “You can come to my own garden and look. The cedars and the pines have all died. Lots of things that would normally survive dealt with temperatures we haven’t seen in decades. Obviously we are upset about it.”
She will sit down with the city this month to discuss what went wrong and what to do.
London Planes are a favourite species of Brown + Storey; the firm initially planted London Planes on Yonge-Dundas Square. But those trees died. The new trees at Yonge-Dundas Square are maples.
Dean Hart, a manager of forestry at the City of Toronto, thinks we chose the wrong trees to plant.
“It appears that the London Planes did not take well,” he says. “London Planes are marginal for the climate-region.”
So why did we plant them?
“They are fast-growing, produce nice dappled shade. Some of the major European cities have London Planes that reach tremendous sizes.”
Now, he says, “We are probably going to plant a greater diversity of trees and move away from London Plane trees for now.”
Professor Sandy Smith of the faculty of forestry at the University of Toronto, won’t blame the tree type.
“I don’t think ‘taking’ is the problem as much as getting the design right for the location,” she writes by email. “We are just beginning to figure out how trees can thrive in a city.”
Toronto did suffer a particularly harsh winter; I see dead street trees all over town. Still, by way of comparison, a row of honey locust trees on Albert Street behind Old City Hall, planted in holes about the same size as the tree holes on Bloor, are all thriving.
I feel bad for the Bloor Street merchants. They funded four years of invasive surgery to add stateliness to this strip. And now the trees are dead. You would think that a forestry superpower such as Canada would at least have figured out, by now, how to plant a tree.
Peter Kuitenbrouwer: Three years ago $20M was spent planting London Plane trees along Bloor. Now almost half are dead
In 2003 I lunched on Bloor Street with James Brown and Kim Storey, of Brown + Storey Architects, to discuss their plan to reimagine Canada’s premier shopping strip. I observed then that, “The most well-dressed shoppers in town would prefer strolling down something a bit more elegant than a thin strip of cement speckled with graffiti-covered newspaper boxes, the occasional desultory flowerpot and scrawny trees strangled by electrical wiring wrapped around their trunks.”
“They’re weeds, they are not trees,” Mr. Brown told me then, pointing to some sad saplings in front of William Ashley. “They are boreal victims. The Germans call them broomsticks.”
In 2007 workers tore up the street for a $20-million rethink, of which merchants paid $10-million and the city $10-million. Backhoes dug holes two metres deep and workers planted 134 London Plane trees. The work dragged on for four years; the street, with new granite, flowers and trees, reopened in 2011.
Unfortunately, three years later there is bad news on Bloor.
On Tuesday I walked on Bloor from Avenue Road to Church Street and back, to inventory the London Plane trees, planted at great expense in specially designed and irrigated tree pits. Of the trees, 79 are alive and 55 are dead. And that is after the Bloor-Yorkville BIA paid to replace 19 dead trees this spring.
Three dead trees sit in front of the Royal Bank at Yonge and Bloor. Nine trees are dead in front of William Sonoma and Pottery Barn Kids. Five are dead in front of Hugo Boss, Guess and Porsche Design. (I was generous with my categories; many of the trees I count as ‘alive’ are clinging to life. Few are healthy enough to provide much shade.)
What happened?
Briar de Lange, general manager of the Bloor-Yorkville BIA, blames our harsh winter.
“It’s not just London Planes on Bloor,” says Ms. de Lange. “You can come to my own garden and look. The cedars and the pines have all died. Lots of things that would normally survive dealt with temperatures we haven’t seen in decades. Obviously we are upset about it.”
She will sit down with the city this month to discuss what went wrong and what to do.
London Planes are a favourite species of Brown + Storey; the firm initially planted London Planes on Yonge-Dundas Square. But those trees died. The new trees at Yonge-Dundas Square are maples.
Dean Hart, a manager of forestry at the City of Toronto, thinks we chose the wrong trees to plant.
“It appears that the London Planes did not take well,” he says. “London Planes are marginal for the climate-region.”
So why did we plant them?
“They are fast-growing, produce nice dappled shade. Some of the major European cities have London Planes that reach tremendous sizes.”
Now, he says, “We are probably going to plant a greater diversity of trees and move away from London Plane trees for now.”
Professor Sandy Smith of the faculty of forestry at the University of Toronto, won’t blame the tree type.
“I don’t think ‘taking’ is the problem as much as getting the design right for the location,” she writes by email. “We are just beginning to figure out how trees can thrive in a city.”
Toronto did suffer a particularly harsh winter; I see dead street trees all over town. Still, by way of comparison, a row of honey locust trees on Albert Street behind Old City Hall, planted in holes about the same size as the tree holes on Bloor, are all thriving.
I feel bad for the Bloor Street merchants. They funded four years of invasive surgery to add stateliness to this strip. And now the trees are dead. You would think that a forestry superpower such as Canada would at least have figured out, by now, how to plant a tree.
junctionist
Senior Member
We need to figure this stuff out because everyone likes street trees, and people want to invest in the city. We had a devastatingly harsh winter, but it seems like this species has sustained too much damage in our climate in spite of favourable conditions like Silva cells and watering.
buildup
Senior Member
We've got to be careful about blaming extreme weather. Extreme events occur much more frequently than supposed. We'll get more weather like this, posibly worse, and sooner than expected. I suppose one unavoidable problem is that city trees are planted separetly so they each need to battle the elements on their own rather than in a forrest enviroment where they protect one another from extreme wind etc.
freshcutgrass
Senior Member
I am less concerned about the tree survival rate than I am about the fact that I was expecting to be wowed by a chic new public realm project. Where's the street furniture, lighting, art, water features...the WOW factor? Even the plants in the planters are boring. I imagined I was supposed to be able to tell I was in this upscale district. 4 years and $20 million and to be honest, it doesn't really "feel" any different than it did before.
Bloor Street Revitalization...whoop dee doo
Bloor Street Revitalization...whoop dee doo
taal
Senior Member
Yes it does feel different then before ... that's a little much ...
My issue is where is the public art, as any of that arrived yet ? The other problem being the rest of the public infrastructure, namely the ligting, was left as is ... that was a big mistake in my opinion.
My issue is where is the public art, as any of that arrived yet ? The other problem being the rest of the public infrastructure, namely the ligting, was left as is ... that was a big mistake in my opinion.
Logan
Active Member
“We are just beginning to figure out how trees can thrive in a city.â€
Really? Why didn't someone try to figure that out BEFORE spending money on the wrong trees?
Really? Why didn't someone try to figure that out BEFORE spending money on the wrong trees?
Irishmonk
Senior Member
So, apparently arboriculture is a mysterious, challenging field of study like quantum mechanics or neuroscience.
androiduk
Senior Member
They announced earlier this year that the public art for Yonge & Bloor would be installed by now but they've been tearing up and re-laying the granite in that area for the past month or so. It's pretty extensive work so maybe they're waiting for that to be completed before they install the artwork.
Torontovibe
Senior Member
There really is no wow factor on Bloor Street. The planters look good but those benches are terrible! They look more like tomb stones then objects to sit on. What happened to the promised water features and art? It's so disappointing that even our big renovation projects, get watered down to something modest. When do we ever rise above expectations or improve on an original plan? The changes are always for the worst. No wonder we are always so cynical when we see an original plan or rendering. Look what happened to the "Alaska" condo. Now that was a serious watering down.
buildup
Senior Member
In fairness, trees are a new lifeform; not something humans have ever encountered. We do know they appear to grow from the ground, species have certain environmental preferences. The rest is a mystery. We should create some field of study in our universities which address these topics.
thecharioteer
Senior Member
According to the article, the designers were Brown + Storey Architects (not aA), who did the revitalization of St. George. The planting seems to have done well there (though there were problems with the decorative roadway at the beginning). I find the BIA's Briar de Lange's comments idiotic (comparing the tree deaths to the cedars in her backyard). If I was a member of the BIA, hers would be one of the first heads to roll for her incompetence in directing this project.
thecharioteer
Senior Member
Ironically, the London Plane is on the list of trees recommended by the City's Urban Forestry Department:
http://www1.toronto.ca/city_of_toro...n/urban_forestry/files/pdf/FreeTree_Final.pdf
http://www1.toronto.ca/city_of_toro...n/urban_forestry/files/pdf/FreeTree_Final.pdf
Zeiss
Active Member
One would think that Bloor-Yorkville BIA learn their lesson after the embarrassment with the trees across from 'Sassafraz'. For many years we had to look at the ugliest, unhealthiest and most crooked trees. Few times I felt embarrassed when I had friends from abroad and explaining to them that the park is supposed to represent Ontario, except the trees, as I have never seen such ugly trees anywhere in Ontario.