Summer storm wrought ‘havoc’ on city trees

About 400 trees were damaged in a vicious August storm that caused ‘havoc’ and cost the city more than $250,000, according to a report going to council Monday night.

The storm damaged 130 trees so badly they have to be removed while another 270 trees require trimming to restore their health or for safety reasons.

Due to restrictions in the tree planting budget, not all of these trees can be replaced immediately. Even if they were to be replaced, it would take 40 to 60 years before these new trees to match in size the ones they are replacing. 

The damaging storm took place on August 6, with violent winds reaching 67 km/hr and the Windsor Airport weather station reporting the measured rainfall amount of 14.7mm. The carnage was so bad forestry staff had to log 500 hours of overtime to assess, prioritize and clean up the debris. 

The sheer volume of maintenance required to inspect, clean up and complete all the work orders derived from this storm only adds to the forestry division backlog in tree maintenance, which will further delay any plans for future preventive maintenance.

Today's storm has caused tree damage in many areas throughout the City. Please report damage to the Windsor Police non-emergency number at 519-258-6111. Our forestry crews have been called-in and are responding now. @WindsorPolice @CityWindsorON @Irek_K @biagiobillmarra

— Drew Dilkens (@drewdilkens) August 6, 2018