Toronto Bloor Street Revitalization | ?m | ?s | Bloor-Yorkville BIA | architectsAlliance

^^^No idea why the the roof has not been worked on yet to prepare it for the sculpture. Will try to ask the local planner about that today to see if he has any insight.

^^Along with the Kentucky Coffee Trees, apparently there are 4 different species of disease-resistant Elms.

^Yes, they are in silva cells. They should have been plumbed, but weren't. The London Planes have not done well with the wind in the area nor the wintertime salt. The new coffee trees and elms seem to be doing better.

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Tulse said:
It's sad that this low bar is our criterion. Are these planted in silva cells or something similar?
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Not sure if they are in silva cells (I think not) but they are planted in fairly large planters that have 'walls' to prevent vehicles compressing the soil - which is really what silva cells are there to prevent. Not quite sure why it shows our 'low bar" that ES reports that most survived the winter. Even trees planted in the best circumstances do not all survive their first winter. The question is surely 'when will the dead ones be replaced?"
 
DSC said:
Not sure if they are in silva cells (I think not) but they are planted in fairly large planters that have 'walls' to prevent vehicles compressing the soil - which is really what silva cells are there to prevent. Not quite sure why it shows our 'low bar" that ES reports that most survived the winter. Even trees planted in the best circumstances do not all survive their first winter. The question is surely 'when will the dead ones be replaced?"
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Standard survival rates for small trees is 70-80% at 3 years. The majority that don't take, die during either the first winter or summer (extremes).

The larger the tree at time of transplant the lower the survival rate.

This is because the roots have to be severely trimmed to move it, let alone fit it in a new planting location.

For trees this size, 65% survival @ 3 years would be quite good.

If they make it to year 3 they're likely good for quite awhile.

That said, the more care they put into the trees (watering program, nutrients etc.) the higher the survival rate.

I think the new plantings, did extremely well over the winter.

If not replaced by now, dead one likely won't be replaced before fall, as transplant should occur when trees are in a dormant rather than growth cycle.
 
For the record the trees on Bloor Street in the West end west of Christie Pits Park to Lansdowne were planted at the same time and look healthy this year. There was significant die-off in the last few seasons. I think the mild winter really helped. The winters 2 and 3 years ago when the trees were first planted and trying to establish themselves were just so cold and harsh. Poor performing species were replaces with Elms etc. that are doing well by comparison.

The lesson here I think is that trees like London Plane are OK for our parks but just don't make good Toronto street trees.
 
A year after my last photo update and the trees are starting to grow in quite nicely.

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I'm beginning to think that silva cells are magic -- the results they've produced here and along the eastern waterfront are astounding. (I am also sure that improved silviculture by the city is also a big part of this).
 
Tulse said:
I'm beginning to think that silva cells are magic -- the results they've produced here and along the eastern waterfront are astounding. (I am also sure that improved silviculture by the city is also a big part of this).
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Not without a bit of trial and error in both cases - given how all the London Plane died in Bloor, and the trees on QQ aren't doing too great either.

AoD
 
AlvinofDiaspar said:
Not without a bit of trial and error in both cases - given how all the London Plane died in Bloor, and the trees on QQ aren't doing too great either.

AoD
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I thought the same thing about the London planes on QQ, but I've noticed that london planes all across the region seem to be having a rough time this year. I was just down near Turkey Point and they all had the same sparse growth patterns. Even the giant LP in Allan Gardens is sparse. Maybe it's more to do with the climate this year.
 
London Plane may be one of the species that the canker worms went to town on in the recent infestation. Where I live in the Humber Valley, there are some species where they just devoured the leaves—Oaks, for one—but they did little damage to the Maples. There's another lower growing shrub near the river that they just stripped in the meantime where I wouldn't be able to find a leaf to identify the species by if I wanted to. Maybe London Plane leaves are quite tasty.

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London planes don't work in Torontos climate. The changes in the climate and the salt don't make them good street trees. I think the city should abandon the art sculpture idea and Bloor and Yonge and put back the granite at that corner.
 
lead82 said:
London planes don't work in Torontos climate. The changes in the climate and the salt don't make them good street trees. I think the city should abandon the art sculpture idea and Bloor and Yonge and put back the granite at that corner.
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The wait is part of the experience - the piece is called Waiting for Godot.

AoD
 
A very appropriate title indeed. It doesn't look like anything is happening at all. If there is no money, then cancel the piece or move it somewhere. It's been years since Bloor was redone. Only in Toronto does it take years to put up public art or complete a basic public works project.
 
The piece exists, the local BIA paid for it. When they went to install it, they discovered that the structural underpinning (the now disused Plaza cinemas are down there under the sidewalk) would have to be beefed-up to take its weight. IIRC, there's also a waterproofing issue. Because there's a vague plan to redo the whole of the Hudson's Bay Centre retail areas, we are stuck waiting for the owners to take some action of some kind.

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interchange42 said:
London Plane may be one of the species that the canker worms went to town on in the recent infestation. Where I live in the Humber Valley, there are some species where they just devoured the leaves—Oaks, for one—but they did little damage to the Maples. There's another lower growing shrub near the river that they just stripped in the meantime where I wouldn't be able to find a leaf to identify the species by if I wanted to. Maybe London Plane leaves are quite tasty.

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Maybe instead of planting 100s of the same tree in one location... maybe planting 100 different types of trees would be better so that they aren't all attacked at the same time might be a idea worth considering.
 
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