ReTree YYC Fair – Let’s restore our urban canopy

On Sunday, Calgarians are invited to the ReTree YYC Fair in South Glenmore Park from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. The City of Calgary and industry experts will be on hand to give talks, demos and answer any tree questions citizens may have about how to care for their trees after the September snow storm. There will also be free mulch, activities for kids, entertainment and food options.

Some of the planned activities include: talks on responding to storm damage and pruning, demonstrations on how to properly choose, plant and mulch a tree and walking tours of the park.

“Our goal is to help citizens access information about how to care for their storm damaged trees as well as learn about how to choose and plant the appropriate tree for their yard,” says Nico Bernard, manager, ReTree YYC. “There are three times as many damaged trees on private property as there is on City land and recovering from this storm will require us as a city and a community to look after our trees together.”

The ReTree YYC Fairs are just one way that The City is helping share tree recovery and educational information with Calgarians. ReTree YYC is also sharing information at calgary.ca/trees and calgary.ca/spring.

In September 2014, a late-summer snow storm impacted Calgary’s urban forest. Trees that had not yet lost their leaves were heavily weighed down by snow, causing trunks and branches to break. The City estimates that 50 per cent of Calgary’s trees were damaged. Some trees require corrective pruning, while others will need to be removed and replanted.