THUNDER BAY – A proposal for the City of Thunder Bay to grow more of its own trees has passed a first hurdle, with city council voting to receive a report on the idea earlier this week.
Councillors unanimously supported Coun. Peng You’s call to examine the feasibility of building an orchard that would supply trees for city boulevards, parks, and other needs.
That includes replacing an estimated 4,600 trees through the city’s emerald ash borer program, and meeting a goal to plant 100,000 additional trees by 2050, part of the net-zero climate plan passed by council earlier this year.
You hopes the report from administration could uncover the potential for cost savings by growing trees in-house. The city currently pays around $500 for large caliper trees and $250 for small caliper trees on average, said supervisor of horticulture and forestry Mike Dixon.
It’s also becoming more difficult to acquire trees, he told councillors.
“Prices have gone up every year, [but] probably a more significant factor is availability,” he said. “Every municipality is planting more and more trees, and the growers have not responded to that yet, or there have been production issues… with the gypsy moth and other pathogens that make shipping great distances difficult.”
Coun. Shelby Ch’ng put forward a successful amendment to broaden You’s motion, removing specific references to the use of the city’s production greenhouses.
The facilities, which are set to be rebuilt in the coming year, likely can’t accommodate a tree-planting program, she said.
“I’m almost positive we do not have capacity for this in the [greenhouses],” she said. “However, I do think that the goal of planting more trees is absolutely admirable, and we need to do it.”
Dixon confirmed to TBNewswatch that was likely the case. There would be little room left to plant trees in the greenhouses, as envisioned by You, after accounting for planting needs for city flower beds, parks, and Low-Impact Developments (LIDs).
“In my opinion, we’d be better off to purchase the seedlings already started and then plant them somewhere until they’re large enough to replant in a permanent location,” Dixon said.
The report from administration will provide rough cost and savings estimates for the program.
Acting parks manager Werner Schwar said an initial assessment from the forestry department indicated it would be at least “close to being possible” to run the program with existing staff.
That could largely depend on a location for a potential orchard where the city could plant seedlings until they’re ready to be transplanted, he said.
“Part of the issue is really dependent on where the trees could be grown. This initiative would involve quite a bit of land… If there was close land in the city that was suitable, that would greatly reduce things like transportation costs.”
Both Aiello and Coun. Mark Bentz voiced concerns over a potential expansion in city services at a time when council is seeking to contain spending.
“This would definitely be an expansion, and that worries me a little bit,” said Bentz.
Coun. Aldo Ruberto countered that the city should be exploring “outside of the box” ideas that have the potential to provide long-term savings, pointing to Tbaytel as the ultimate example.
Councillors unanimously supported You’s motion on Monday, with a report due back from administration by Dec. 20, in time for consideration in the 2022 budget.
