Residents of Drumheller can expect work to begin very soon to remove and maintain trees and vegetation at Centennial Park behind the Badlands Community Facility (BCF).
Landscape architects are working under a tight deadline to complete removal of senescent trees-which are trees reaching the end of their natural life-while also working on a strategy to manage and increase urban vegetation throughout the valley.
“Any tree removals that need to happen, need to happen before mid-April,” said landscape architect Cristal McLean with Ground Cubed Landscape Architecture.
McLean is one of the main consultants on the project and has a good understanding of the unique landscape and vegetation in the Drumheller Valley, having previously worked on other projects including installation of the metal catwalk structure at the Hoodoos.
She notes the reason tree removal is on such a tight deadline is due to the approaching nesting season for migratory and native birds. Although work can continue beyond mid-April, there would be significant delays due to additional assessment requirements by biologists to ensure no nests are within 30 metres of a proposed removal.
Maintenance work was previously carried out in April 2020 at Newcastle Beach to reduce erosion concerns from problematic trees and vegetation along the shoreline. However, tree removal at Centennial Park is not due to erosion but rather public safety concerns.
These dying trees will naturally drop limbs, which in itself can be a safety issue. However, McLean notes many of the trees in this area are poplars and pose additional safety risks.
“(Poplars) grow quickly, but become spongy as they die,” McLean said, adding this puts them at an increased risk of breakage which could cause damage to property or personal injury.
Although residents may have some reservations against removing trees in the area, there is a strategy in place to maintain the carbon balance; for each culled tree, five new large shrubs or trees will be planted in its place. McLean notes some of the vegetation to be removed will be replaced with ornamental rather than native shrubs as an additional means to help flood mitigation and carbon balance efforts.
Replacement will be spread over the next few years, allowing for construction of berms to be completed prior to replanting. Some of these replacements will be sourced from a tree farm maintained by the Drumheller Institution.
“We will use a number
of strategies to reuse materials from felled trees,” McLean said. Some of these strategies include creating organic mulch and transplanting material to be used for the new trees and shrubs, rail and split rail fencing which can be used in a number of areas throughout the valley, and also natural playground equipment.
However, felled trees will not be offered to the public for use as firewood as this would negate any positive carbon balancing.
