Trees

In the coming years, millions of trees across Ottawa (up to 25 percent of Ottawa’s tree canopy, including in Lowertown) will die as a result of the emerald ash borer infestation. 

Lowertown residents care about saving our tree canopy. Residents have joined a new city-wide initiative called TREE Ottawa, together with the City, to launch a bold new vision to plant a million trees in the run-up to Canada’s 150th birthday celebration in 2017. 

Indeed, we planted the first tree to launch the initiative in Bingham Park in October 2013, with Diana Beresford-Kroeger, author, botanist and tree expert, and Sarah Harmer, activist and musician. In January 2015, we hosted Tree Ottawa to tell us about the ash trees in our midst, the possibilities for planting and caring for trees and how we can get involved. We want to continue to work with others to take better care of existing trees, plant new trees, across Lowertown.

We also partnered with the Lowertown East Community Resource Centre, Hidden Harvest and Treenuts.ca to take a walkaround in Lowertown East in September 2013 to learn about the nut trees of Lowetown East. Urban nut trees give all the benefits of other kinds of trees, plus an edible crop bonus. We plan another walkaround for Lowertown West in the fall of 2014.

Ash tree on Bruyère Street in Lowertown, Ottawa, now gone, cut down in the city's efforts to control the emerald ash borer infestation. Photo: May 2013.