WATCH ABOVE: It’s been one-year since Calgary’s ‘Snowtember’ storms, and as Global’s Tracy Nagai reports, the city’s urban canopy still has many wounds that have yet to heal.
A year after one of the worst September snowstorms ever to hit Calgary, crews are still busy removing and pruning the thousands of trees that were damaged or destroyed by the heavy, wet snow.
Half of Calgary’s 500,000 trees on city-owned land were damaged when 40 centimetres of snow fell on the city over the course of three days, beginning September 8.
Thousands of trees on private property were also damaged.
“We couldn’t even count them,” says Codie Anderson of ArborCare Tree Services. “We have handled literally thousands; tens of thousands of trees have been damaged and pruned.”
As the city marks the first anniversary of Snowtember, trees are still being replanted. Several severe storms this summer have added to the damage.
MORE: Nenshi blasts NDP for ‘unbelievable’ Snowtember funding denial
“Nothing has really added up for being good for the trees,” says Anderson. “The hail really delivered quite a pounding to an already stressed urban forest, so it’s going to take some years for the total effects to be overcome by just some good weather and some good healthy trees.”
MORE: Calgary makes list of top 10 weather stories of 2014
The city is holding several ReTree YYC Tree Fairs for people concerned about the tree damage in their yards. Click here for more information.
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