The average Metro Vancouver tree has a lifespan of less than eight years, a startling statistic from prominent B.C. horticulturalist Brian Minter that serves as a deadly warning: the region's unusually early and severe watering restrictions pose a significant threat to its trees.
Young Trees at Risk
Minter notes that many young trees die of dehydration before reaching their tween years, leading him to describe the metropolis's relatively few older trees as rare and precious "gold." This concern exemplifies why some residents fight so hard to protect mature trees, which officials say are a boon to birds and insects and a bulwark against global warming.
Tree Canopy Loss
Metro Vancouver lost one per cent of its tree canopy between 2014 and 2020, according to a regional district study. Restoring what was lost would require planting enough trees to cover about 19 square kilometres. In light of continuing dangers, citizens occasionally rise up to stop older trees from being chopped down.
Community Activism
One recent example is in the Vancouver neighbourhood of Kitsilano, where neighbours are urging city officials to spare a horse chestnut tree over 100 years old on a private lot. They describe it as a "heritage-scale tree that provides shade, climate resilience and documented habitat for a Cooper's Hawk. Removing it works directly against the city's own urban forest strategy goal of 30 per cent canopy cover by 2050."
Watering Restrictions
Metro Vancouver's Stage 3 watering restrictions, introduced earlier than ever on June 8, ban lawn watering and dictate that "all sprinklers and soaker hoses are strictly prohibited for trees, shrubs, and flowers." Bill Manning, retired director of horticulture for Vancouver parks, worries that many residents and even city staff will fail to properly water trees, especially young ones.
"The watering restrictions do affect the trees," said Manning. If they are to survive, immature trees need more than superficial watering. "They need slow, extensive watering to promote deep roots."
