Michael Ormston-Holloway, arborist from The Planning Partnership, looks over a species of oak that will keep its red leaves through the season. Photo courtesy of John Grace.
HEATHER BOA Bullet News GODERICH – Four truckloads of trees will be paraded into downtown Goderich, in a welcoming party on Nov. 10 that’s organized by the town’s deputy mayor.
“We’re going to bring them in with some fanfare,” said John Grace, who has just begun to enlist the town’s fire department, tourism centre, BIA chamber of commerce and others in a celebration to mark the arrival of the first trees to replace those lost in the Court House Park when the tornado through Goderich and area and Aug. 21, 2011.
A few trees with a 12- to 16-inch diameter, along with many medium-sized trees, will be planted in the west quadrant that faces West Street, where the underground servicing is complete, Grace said. This is the first shipment of trees in a planting of more than 150 trees that will run until about Dec. 20.
“We went through a process to try to get the very best trees we could and I think we’ve done it,” he said. PAO Horticulture was hired by the town to supply the trees, which were selected in visits to about six nurseries in the Niagara escarpment. Grace and the Chip Wilson, the town’s operations director, and Martin Quinn, the town’s supervisor of parks and cemeteries and Michael Ormston-Holloway, arborist from The Planning Partnership.
Grace said the process gave him a “feel for the magnitude of the project and be able to deliver that message back to the community: what detail are they taking to select the trees?
“It was a real eye-opener for me,” he said. The large trees are planted and trimmed at the nurseries to be transplanted in the future. He said workers begin the extraction process with hand digging to chase the roots and bring them back to the root ball.
Trees include sugar maple, river birch, pin oak, red oak, Ohio buckeye and redwood.
The trees require 320 km of rope and more than 3 km of burlap to tie and protect the root balls.
“We will have trees by Christmas as long as the weather cooperates,” Grace said, adding cold and dry weather will be ideal for planting.
PAO Horticultural has dedicated part of its website to the replanting.
For more information, John Grace can be contacted by phone at 519-524-0779 or by email at [email protected]
3 Comments on "New trees will parade into downtown Goderich on Nov. 10"
What a sick town……having a big parade for the new trees…
People lost their homes and life and they are celebrating trees and they didn’t even give the business to the local area to help. Usually trees are planted and grow for the next generation to enjoy which would have saved a lot of money for necessary things. Disgraceful!!
Wow, a parade of trees complete with brass band. This will no doubt be akin to the running of the bulls. Make it so, John Grace.
No one is discounting those who suffered loss that I can tell by this article. What is being recognized is that in the days, weeks and months after the tornado the trees on the Square were identified as being very much missed by almost anyone you talked to.
The trees on Courthouse Park have always been appreciated. No more so than when they were all destroyed.
I’m sorry that you don’t feel happy that the trees we lost are being replaced and that there are some people glad about that.
Hopefully when they are planted and growing you will find some hope and enjoy them along with others.
I recall that the greening of Courthouse Park was something that came out loud and clear at the workshops held for the community.