Broken trees are bad for our health and wallets

Dear Winnipeg,

It seems it wasn't that long ago that I wrote asking you to increase funding to your urban forestry department. (It didn't happen.)

I argued public trees were a good investment, a great investment, even — probably the best use of public funds possible. (They are.)

I also suggested that since Dutch elm disease and the emerald ash borer were aiming to wipe out your urban canopy in relatively short order, there was no time like the present to protect your past investments, as well as increase your future returns. (There isn't.)

You politely disagreed.

Well, look at us now. Last week's freak snowstorm is nothing short of a Leaf-pocalypse, an Arbour-ggedon, a Canopy Calamity of Colossal Calibre — a Totally Terrible Tree-gedy, if you will.

I mean, just look at the carnage in my neighbourhood!

And I hate to say I told you so .… (Actually, that's not true. I love to say it.)

But in this case, I don't feel now is the time to play the Blame Game. Instead, we really need to be playing Tree-vial Pursuit: Cleanup Edition. (Warning: not as fun as advertised.)

The city estimates about 30,000 public trees were damaged or destroyed in the unseasonable snowstorm on Oct. 10 and 11. Many more may die from disease spread by broken branches lying around and waiting up to a year to be cleaned up. 

This is really bad.

And I know it's easy to dismiss. Like, oh well, we have bigger priorities than trees.

But do we really?

The bank that holds my mortgage is not going to be pleased!

I've already written to you about the financial benefits of street trees for the city's bottom line, like increased property taxes and rainwater absorption.

But now let me tell you how all of this tree loss is going to affect me personally.

It will make me poorer; houses on non-tree-lined streets are worth less money than houses on tree-lined streets. The bank that holds my mortgage is not going to be pleased!

It will make me hotter (and not in the way my wife hopes); street trees cool my house in summer. 

It will make me wetter; street trees absorb rainwater that would otherwise end up in the combined sewers and, in turn, back up into my basement.

It will make me sicker; trees have been linked to overall positive effects on health, such as reducing blood pressure and incidences of asthma.

It will burn me out; trees have been linked to reduced stress and increased overall mental health. And I don't know about you, but I can use all the mental health I can get my hands on!

It may even kill me; urban street trees create vertical walls, which frame streets and lead to safer traffic speeds. (Sounds dramatic, but it's true!)

Though I wish it weren't so, we probably shouldn't be planning city policy around how it affects one random guy in Elmwood.

But the truth of the matter is I'm not alone. 

Everyone on my street will suffer these effects, as will everyone in my neighbourhood. In fact, I believe pretty much everyone who lost trees near their house will suffer in some way. 

Investing in our trees is a no-brainer- Michel Durand-Wood

The really sad thing is, I believe a lot of this damage might have been preventable, if only you recognized the value of your public trees, and invested your money accordingly.

For example, industry best practices say we should be pruning our trees about every seven years for optimum health. Winnipeg doesn't. 

That's a lot of extra branches left in there to collect extremely heavy wet snow.

While this is a major, major setback, the good news is that it's not too late to act.

When Calgary went through a similar catastrophe in 2014, they followed it up with a  $35 million restoration effort. It's proving to be successful, but councillors say even more money is needed.

Consider this your wake-up call.

But where to find the money? Here's a thought: simply foregoing 1,500 metres of road renewal spending could TRIPLE the annual forestry budget. When's the last time a road cooled your house?

Investing in our trees is a no-brainer. They're the only public infrastructure that actually increases in value over time. And not only do public trees positively contribute to city finances, they also directly benefit me personally.

But if you won't do it for me, at least do it for the other Winnipeggers like me.

(Right, that's everyone.)

Stay warm,
Elmwood Guy

This column is part of  CBC's Opinion section. For more information about this section, please read this editor's blog and our FAQ.

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