Due to a generous grant from TreeCanada and BC Hydro, 21 deciduous trees have been planted in Cumberland’s Village Park. Ten trees have been planted by the new playground and 11 trees in the reconfigured dog park area. The grant covered the cost of the plant material with the Village covering labour expenses for installation and continued maintenance.
These trees will provide welcome shade in the playground and dog park areas. Trees were one of the most requested additions to the park during the creation of the Village Park Master Plan adopted by Cumberland Council in February 2013. Other benefits of the trees include improved air quality with uptake of pollutants, particulates and carbon dioxide, and the production of oxygen. The trees will also provide additional habitat for insects and birds in the park.
The trees in the playground area are
• Five green vase Zelkova
• Tulip trees
The trees in the dog park area are
• One tulip tree
• Five red sunset maples
• Five red oaks
Transplanted trees take several years to recover and park visitors are asked to help the trees survive and thrive by protecting the young bark and surrounding area by not:
• locking bikes to or leaning anything on the trunks that would mark or cut the bark,
• walking or parking strollers or bikes on the mulch circle which compacts the soil over the young roots,
• breaking or removing any branches,
• dumping unwanted drinks or leaving waste material around the tree.
The Village continues to implement the Village Park Master Plan and is actively working on two other priority projects. A design for the new skatepark, basketball and tennis facilities is currently being created, a project in partnership with the Cumberland Community Schools Society. Meanwhile, the Village will be finalizing mountain bike jump park designs over the course of the upcoming winter, a project in partnership with the United Riders of Cumberland.
For more information: cumberland.ca.