The Corporation of The City of London
July 10, 2012
 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tree watering alert now in effect

Due to soaring temperatures and over 18 days only 1.5 cm of rain, the City has issued a tree watering alert. Londoners are being asked to water new and mature trees on private and City property.

All trees, big and small, need at least 2.5 cm of water per week in order to thrive.

"Although we did receive rain last week, it wasn’t enough to maintain the regular biological functions of trees: to build new buds cells; ensure root growth and build up energy reserves to prepare them for the winter and next spring's growth," says Ivan Listar, Manager of Urban Forestry. "Trees weakened by lack of water make them less resilient in the long term."

Drought is the major cause of tree stress and can lead to permanent damage, especially in young trees. Lengthy periods without rain - typically a week or more - can lead to the most common symptoms of stress appearing, including browning and wilting of leaves. Sometimes the symptoms of drought stress are not visible until the next year, when they appear in the form of insect attacks and disease.

“We’re always encouraged by the response of Londoners to our tree watering alerts in times of drought,” says Andrew Macpherson, Manager, Parks Planning & Design. “We thank everyone who helps care for our urban forest, and this year would like to give special recognition to the groups who have joined the Veterans Memorial Parkway Community Programme in ‘adopting’ sections of the parkway - most notably: Trojan Technologies, 3M and Starlim Canada.”

When watering trees it is important to soak the soil slowly around the tree continuing out to the outer branches to ensure all the roots get moisture. To make optimal use of water, early morning or evening watering will reduce evaporation loss. The cost to water a tree is less than a quarter per week.

Please remember the City of London Water By-law W-3 is in effect until August 31. If your street address ends with a 0, 2, 4, 6, and 8 you can water outdoors on EVEN numbered calendar days only. If your street address ends with a 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9 you can water outdoors on ODD numbered calendar days only.


Did you know?
Unlike grass, trees do not go dormant during times of drought – they continue to try to grow. We need to water our trees before watering our lawns to avoid long-term damage.