Calgary and Victoria have at least one thing in common: they’re both set to lose trees that date back a century or more.And ironically enough, both date back to Victorian times, and are named after the monarch that defined the era. Later this spring the City of Calgary will take down the so-called ‘Victoria Park Elm’, which is also known as the Stampede Elm, to make way for a roadway to the new events centre.Likewise the upscale — and appropriately named — neighbourhood of Oak Bay in Victoria is poised to lose one of its oldest and most famous hardwoods after the local town council deemed it unsafe.Over the years the tree, located near the local yacht club, has been a prominent backdrop for photos and selfies as well as a home for herons and other birds..Although it continues to bud, the roots of the so-called ‘leaning’ tree on Beach Drive have rotted enough to raise concerns for the safety of pedestrians. The city reportedly even considered altering the sidewalk to save it.That in turn prompted a vigil dubbed ‘Before the Felling’ at the base of the tree before it was set to come down on Wednesday.Residents posted notes and cards on its gnarled trunk..“You are more than a survivor with your lean and deep wound, as with so many of us humans. Our walks will not be quite the same,” read one.Another woman said it “holds all her secrets.”Oak Bay has the largest number of urban Garry oaks in Canada. Over the years many have been removed to make way for new condo projects and even bike paths, much to the dismay of local residents who have organized groups to save them.But in this case there may be a silver lining; the town council has vowed to replaced it with what else? A Garry oak..In Calgary, researchers from the University of Calgary have scanned and logged the Victoria Park Elm with cutting edge Lidar scans and have taken more than 200 cuttings and seeds that will be used to replant various editions of it on the Stampede grounds.No one is sure how old the tree actually is although it has preexisted all of the Calgary Stampedes and is at least 120 years. “Planted on the north side of the Stampede Grounds close to the location of the first major hospital in Calgary, this tree has persisted throughout the development and growth of the City of Calgary to become a character defining element of Victoria Park,” it said.The difference is that Calgary’s tree has barely reached half its lifespan and appears to be quite healthy — notwithstanding its location. That’s because American Elm trees are known to live 200-250 years or more in urban settings and can live as many as 400 years.
