Charlottetown pilot project aims to improve tree cover, starting with an expensive planter

The City of Charlottetown is looking to plant a tree in its downtown core with more than the usual measures in place to keep it alive and providing shade.

The price tag for its special concrete planter? Almost $40,000. 

The city hopes the structure will protect a large tree sapling (species to be named later) from the stresses posed by urban life, including compaction of soil where its roots want to grow, hot and cold extremes from its exposed position, and damage from cars and people. The goal is to help Charlottetown increase its downtown tree cover in a more reliable way.  

Currently, the amount of tree coverage in Charlottetown's downtown core is trending downwards and on track to go below what is recommended for human health, the environment and climate action, said Jessika Corkum-Gorrill, manager of the city's environment and sustainability department. 

She said other urban tree planting methods the city has tried in the past have not worked very well.

"We need to see those numbers go up," she said. "To have our trees survive in the downtown, we really need to set them up for success."

That is where the concrete planter comes in. 

Landscaper Earthform will build planter

Corkum-Gorrill said the tree site will be about the size of a parking space. Crews will excavate the area, pour a foundation and add soil. There will be space for the tree roots to grow below ground, and above ground the planter will protect it from things like snowplows and out-of-control cars.

A bench will also be built in. 

The proposal for this planter was brought to the city's environment and sustainability committee in early August. Island landscaping company Earthform put in a bid of $39,330 to build it, though there may be additional costs associated with excavation and site preparation.

Charlottetown city councillors voted 7-2 to approve the project at their council meeting this week, though Coun. Bob Doiron said he thought it was too much to spend on a single tree.

While Corkum-Gorrill recognizes this planter will come with a cost, she said it is important to consider how expensive it is to constantly plant trees that die rather than thrive. 

"That costs the city a lot of money and in the end we don't get those mature trees that we need," she said. 

Having trees in a downtown area can pay off, Corkum-Gorrill said. Trees are particularly important in cities because they help to regulate air temperature, absorb pollution and manage storm water — all issues that have long-term costs if they're not addressed.

"Planting in the urban core is different than planting in a park or on a street that has green space," Corkum-Gorrill said. "It does come with a price tag."

If this tree planter is successful, she said the city plans to work with its contractor to see if it can bring down the cost of future planters.

The city does not know exactly where the planter will go yet, she said. The initial proposal documents suggested it could be put near Founders Hall, where a number of trees were lost during 2022's post-tropical storm Fiona. 

Work should be completed this fall.