First Thoughts on the Area

Last week, we had our first visit to the neighbourhoods where we will be canvassing. It was great to get a sense of the area and interact with some of the residents. The area spans from Wellington to Gage, and from the railway tracks North of Barton to Cannon. The shaded section of this map gives a more detailed idea of the area of focus.

Lots of potential sites along Sanford Ave!

The houses along Wellington had pretty small yards for the most part, but there were some possible sites for street trees. The houses face a pretty busy road, and the area could definitely benefit from more trees. Many other homes in the area had small yards, but some of the smaller tree options will be a nice fit. The houses along Victoria Street tended to have more trees out front, but the area could still use more. The urban canopy from the existing trees definitely made the area nicer.

Traveling further east towards Gage, the area became quite a bit more industrial. There were a number of factories and empty lots, which got us thinking about the vast potential for street trees in these areas. It was interesting to note that as we moved into the more industrial areas, homes tended to have fewer trees out front. With the help of the Street Tree Project, this pattern can change and lead to nicer-looking neighbourhoods with better air quality.

After refuelling at 541 Eatery

While in the area, we got the chance to stop off at 541 Barton Eatery. The café has a friendly, welcoming atmosphere and offers a menu of delicious, reasonably priced food and drinks (personally, I can vouch for the coffee). I look forward to spending a lot more time there while canvassing in the
area.

While surveying the area, we came across some neighbours and discussed the project with them. We
were met with a range of responses. There were some people who were strongly opposed to the idea of a tree on their property. Around Clinton and Sherman, it became clear that a recent bad experience with a tree made people ambivalent to request their own. A large tree in the area had to be removed recently, supposedly because it had interfered with the sewers. We explained to the neighbours that smaller trees tend not to pose as much of a problem for underground systems, since their roots do not reach as far down. Additionally, trees do not cause damage unless there is a problem with the piping to begin with. More information about these misconceptions can be found here. Hopefully this unfortunate incident doesn’t make people too hesitant to get trees on their property.

Happy to see a Street Tree!

While there were some people who were strongly opposed to the idea of a tree, others simply seemed hesitant. Many had not considered the idea of getting a tree, and were taken by surprise. However, bringing up the idea of a tree beforehand is likely to make them more willing to consider a tree later on. As this article discusses, introducing people to unfamiliar ideas will make them more receptive to them in the future. Hopefully the Street Tree Project has the same experience!

Some neighbours were very interested in the project, and were happy to connect with us further. We shared contact information and will follow up, and are looking forward to meeting these people again when we canvas. We’re hoping to come across other people who share this attitude!

We came across a few houses that had requested trees from us in past years. It was encouraging to see the trees on their lawns already making the area more inviting. 

We are looking forward to spending lots of time in the area in the weeks to come, and are determined to make the area greener!