City looking to plant two trees for every one tree cut down for LRT extension project

Trees downed for the Stage 2 LRT project. (City of Ottawa photo)

Work for Stage 2 LRT is underway and that has meant tree-clearing in some areas to make room for rail and station construction. Many of these trees will be lost, although some will be relocated where feasible.

Here’s a notice from the city detailing how the removal and mitigation is planned:

Area restoration, tree replacement and greenspace re-seeding will be completed as part of the final local area finishing works. An overall average tree replacement ratio of 2:1 (two trees for every one removed) will be replanted along the Stage 2 LRT alignment.

Tree Loss Mitigation and Replacement

The following measures will be taken to mitigate tree loss:

• Limit clearing to only where required in temporary easement areas
• Leave trees along property lines (backyards, businesses, parks) where possible
• Design of pathways to incorporate existing trees
• Inventory and compensate (ratio dependent on size, species) where removal is unavoidable
• Critical Root Zone protection for trees along limits

The removal work started in October and is continuing in November with plans to finish it all by the end of this year, to avoid the 2020 bird nesting season. The city said some trees can be relocated rather than destroyed, although most will have to be cut down and the loss compensated for with the replanting program. Tree removal/relocation has to be done before other key construction tasks can be accomplished, such as the cut-and-cover rail trench that will be built along the Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway.

You can see detailed maps of the tree-clearing boundary along the line on ottawa.ca.