TORONTO
West Queen West residents fear for future of rare, old elm locals use 'as GPS'IT'S AN IMPORTANT HOME FOR BIRDS
AND OTHER URBAN FAUNA
CBC
Mon, October 9, 2023
Adam Wynne of the Parkdale Village/Sunnyside Historical Society stands by the American elm, which he says dates to the 1870s. (Mike Smee/CBC - image credit)
West Queen West residents are struggling to protect what they say is one of the city's rarest trees: a 20-metre tall, 150-year-old American elm that has become a neighbourhood landmark.
There are concerns that increased development in the neighbourhood near Trinity Bellwoods Park could damage the tree's branches or root system if the city doesn't act quickly, says Adam Wynne of the Parkdale Village/Sunnyside Historical Society.
"To have an American elm this size in downtown Toronto is incredibly rare and is, I think, worthy of protection," he said. "It's like finding a woolly mammoth in downtown Toronto."
For years, Wynne says the city has ignored his efforts to have the tree given special protection via a heritage designation.
It is more important than ever to protect the elm tree on Fennings Street, north of Queen, Wynne said, because more than 90 per cent of the deciduous trees died off by the 1960s because of Dutch elm disease.
"It's absolutely magnificent," Wynne said. "It's loved by people all around this area."
Robert Sysak, head of the West Queen West BIA, recalls playing tag with his brother at the tree when he was a child. (Paul Smith/CBC)
In an email to CBC Toronto, city staff say they're monitoring the elm and treating it to ensure it doesn't develop Dutch elm disease. However, staff in the urban forestry department say they've never been asked by anyone in the community for the elm to be formally recognized as a heritage tree through Forests Ontario.
Wynne disputes that, saying that over the course of several years, and as recently as last February, he's asked the city's heritage planning department to have the Fennings Street elm designated an Ontario Heritage Act (OHA) heritage tree — a more direct route than through Forests Ontario — and those requests have been ignored.
CBC Toronto has viewed multiple emails from Wynne to the city, which received replies thanking him for his input. The city has not yet responded to CBC Toronto inquiries asking them to address Wynne's concerns.
CBC
Mon, October 9, 2023
Adam Wynne of the Parkdale Village/Sunnyside Historical Society stands by the American elm, which he says dates to the 1870s. (Mike Smee/CBC - image credit)
West Queen West residents are struggling to protect what they say is one of the city's rarest trees: a 20-metre tall, 150-year-old American elm that has become a neighbourhood landmark.
There are concerns that increased development in the neighbourhood near Trinity Bellwoods Park could damage the tree's branches or root system if the city doesn't act quickly, says Adam Wynne of the Parkdale Village/Sunnyside Historical Society.
"To have an American elm this size in downtown Toronto is incredibly rare and is, I think, worthy of protection," he said. "It's like finding a woolly mammoth in downtown Toronto."
For years, Wynne says the city has ignored his efforts to have the tree given special protection via a heritage designation.
It is more important than ever to protect the elm tree on Fennings Street, north of Queen, Wynne said, because more than 90 per cent of the deciduous trees died off by the 1960s because of Dutch elm disease.
"It's absolutely magnificent," Wynne said. "It's loved by people all around this area."
Robert Sysak, head of the West Queen West BIA, recalls playing tag with his brother at the tree when he was a child. (Paul Smith/CBC)
In an email to CBC Toronto, city staff say they're monitoring the elm and treating it to ensure it doesn't develop Dutch elm disease. However, staff in the urban forestry department say they've never been asked by anyone in the community for the elm to be formally recognized as a heritage tree through Forests Ontario.
Wynne disputes that, saying that over the course of several years, and as recently as last February, he's asked the city's heritage planning department to have the Fennings Street elm designated an Ontario Heritage Act (OHA) heritage tree — a more direct route than through Forests Ontario — and those requests have been ignored.
CBC Toronto has viewed multiple emails from Wynne to the city, which received replies thanking him for his input. The city has not yet responded to CBC Toronto inquiries asking them to address Wynne's concerns.
Adam Wynne of the historical society, says the tree could be designated by the city through its heritage planning office, but so far he's had no reply to his inquiries. (Paul Smith/CBC)
Only 15 trees have heritage status in Toronto, according to the city's website. But this elm could be the 16th. Since CBC Toronto first asked, city staff say they have now applied to Forests Ontario to have the tree recognized.
With status, a tree is protected by the city's tree bylaw from being damaged or removed without council's approval. However, the city could make this designation itself through the OHA directly, without needing to wait on Forests Ontario.
According to the city's website, a heritage tree must be at least one of the following:
"A living relic that displays evidence of cultural modification by Aboriginal or non-Aboriginal people.
.A prominent community landmark.
A specimen associated with a historic person, place, event or period.
A representative of a crop grown by ancestors and their successors that is at risk of disappearing from cultivation.
A tree associated with local folklore, myths, legends, or traditions."
The Fennings Street elm ticks several of those boxes, according to Robert Sysak, executive director of the West Queen West BIA.
A passerby enjoys lunch under the old elm. Locals say the tree is a favourite spot to stop and chat. (Mike Smee/CBC)
"It's just part of the neighbourhood, part of the memories," said Sysak, who spent his childhood in the area.
"My brother and I would play tag and it would be like, 'the first one here wins'," he said, while standing beside the elm.
"Sadly now I have congestive heart failure; it's not easy to walk without getting some shade. I come here, get a coffee, sit and talk."
Multiple ways tree could be protected, locals say
Sysak says he and his organization support Wynne's efforts to protect the elm.
"It's the history of our neighbourhood," he said. "We're losing too many of those kinds of things and natural history is just as important as the physical history."
Wynne says the tree would be protected regardless of how it receives heritage designation — be it through Forests Ontario, the OHA, or by being incorporated into another heritage designation. However, he says time is of the essence.
"We see so many trees that die in downtown Toronto after construction," he said. "Having it recognized as a heritage tree would mitigate that."
Benj Hellie, of the Ossington Community Association, calls the tree "an alpha vegetable on the landscape." He's pushing to have the city give the tree special protection more quickly. (Paul Smith/CBC)
One option is the tree could be included as a heritage asset within the broader West Queen West Heritage Conservation District, a designation that has been in planning stages for about eight years.
The Ossington Community Association treasurer, Benj Hellie, believes it should be.
"That tree is really magnificent .... you can see it for blocks and it has an absolutely perfect rounded canopy," he said. "People on Fennings Street have used it almost as a GPS for generations."
Hellie says the old elm could benefit once the West Queen West designation comes to pass, as it would put special restrictions on development in the area.
Will the tree get heritage designation in time?
But he worries that developers' demands could hinder the elm's path to special protection.
"The city's been under a regime of develop, develop, develop," he said. "There's a parking lot right in front of (the elm). It's on a corner. It's on Queen Street, and there's a real initiative to take lands like these and open them up for significant mid-rise intensification."
If that happens, Hellie says he worries the tree could be sacrificed.
If the area does intensify, he says, "it can't be done in a way that's healthy for this magnificent tree. This tree is an alpha vegetable on the landscape."
While the city has now said it's applying for Forests Ontario designation, it's unclear how long that process will take and what might happen to the tree in the meantime.
Only 15 trees have heritage status in Toronto, according to the city's website. But this elm could be the 16th. Since CBC Toronto first asked, city staff say they have now applied to Forests Ontario to have the tree recognized.
With status, a tree is protected by the city's tree bylaw from being damaged or removed without council's approval. However, the city could make this designation itself through the OHA directly, without needing to wait on Forests Ontario.
According to the city's website, a heritage tree must be at least one of the following:
"A living relic that displays evidence of cultural modification by Aboriginal or non-Aboriginal people.
.A prominent community landmark.
A specimen associated with a historic person, place, event or period.
A representative of a crop grown by ancestors and their successors that is at risk of disappearing from cultivation.
A tree associated with local folklore, myths, legends, or traditions."
The Fennings Street elm ticks several of those boxes, according to Robert Sysak, executive director of the West Queen West BIA.
A passerby enjoys lunch under the old elm. Locals say the tree is a favourite spot to stop and chat. (Mike Smee/CBC)
"It's just part of the neighbourhood, part of the memories," said Sysak, who spent his childhood in the area.
"My brother and I would play tag and it would be like, 'the first one here wins'," he said, while standing beside the elm.
"Sadly now I have congestive heart failure; it's not easy to walk without getting some shade. I come here, get a coffee, sit and talk."
Multiple ways tree could be protected, locals say
Sysak says he and his organization support Wynne's efforts to protect the elm.
"It's the history of our neighbourhood," he said. "We're losing too many of those kinds of things and natural history is just as important as the physical history."
Wynne says the tree would be protected regardless of how it receives heritage designation — be it through Forests Ontario, the OHA, or by being incorporated into another heritage designation. However, he says time is of the essence.
"We see so many trees that die in downtown Toronto after construction," he said. "Having it recognized as a heritage tree would mitigate that."
Benj Hellie, of the Ossington Community Association, calls the tree "an alpha vegetable on the landscape." He's pushing to have the city give the tree special protection more quickly. (Paul Smith/CBC)
One option is the tree could be included as a heritage asset within the broader West Queen West Heritage Conservation District, a designation that has been in planning stages for about eight years.
The Ossington Community Association treasurer, Benj Hellie, believes it should be.
"That tree is really magnificent .... you can see it for blocks and it has an absolutely perfect rounded canopy," he said. "People on Fennings Street have used it almost as a GPS for generations."
Hellie says the old elm could benefit once the West Queen West designation comes to pass, as it would put special restrictions on development in the area.
Will the tree get heritage designation in time?
But he worries that developers' demands could hinder the elm's path to special protection.
"The city's been under a regime of develop, develop, develop," he said. "There's a parking lot right in front of (the elm). It's on a corner. It's on Queen Street, and there's a real initiative to take lands like these and open them up for significant mid-rise intensification."
If that happens, Hellie says he worries the tree could be sacrificed.
If the area does intensify, he says, "it can't be done in a way that's healthy for this magnificent tree. This tree is an alpha vegetable on the landscape."
While the city has now said it's applying for Forests Ontario designation, it's unclear how long that process will take and what might happen to the tree in the meantime.
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