Tree Trust demonstrates pruning of 80-year-old pin oaks in New Hamburg Arboretum

Arborist Andrew Campbell working on the almost 100-year-old pin oak trees in New Hamburg Arboretum during the live demonstration earlier this week. Amanda Nelson photo

By Amanda Nelson

On Tuesday, March 3, Reep Green Solutions and Tree Trust invited the public to celebrate its mature trees with a live demonstration of pruning on two 80-year-old pin oaks.

This work was funded entirely through donations to care for two of the Arboretum’s mature pin oaks located in the New Hamburg Arboretum at 470 Waterloo St., New Hamburg.

“The township doesn't generally have funding for things like this and with the budgetary struggles, we really appreciate any kind of support we can get,” said Cody Eby, manager of parks and facilities. “So being able to work with Tree Trust on this has been a great opportunity for us.”

The Tree Trust program focuses on caring for and preserving mature, legacy trees across the region, aiming to extend their lifespan and ensure their benefits continue to be enjoyed for years to come.

“We are focused on preserving and caring for mature legacy trees in the region,” said Ashlynn Fleming, interim manager of tree programs with Reep Green Solutions. “So, these are trees that are around 100 years old that have particular importance when it comes to historical, cultural or social significance.”

The New Hamburg Arboretum was established more than 60 years ago, with its first trees planted in 1957 and official opening in 1964.

“The reason that we're working with the arboretum here is because it’s in need of a lot of restoration work and some of the loss of some of the existing large trees,” said Fleming. “We do work like this to try to prevent that from happening to the trees we see here today.”

Tree Trust is dedicated to caring for significant trees in the region, ensuring their health and longevity through the support of professional arborist services.

The arboretum hosts more than 350 trees and 70 unique species. However, heavy clay soil in the area makes it difficult for many trees to survive, especially those that were not native to the region.

While this issue was addressed using soil amendments and by improving existing drainage infrastructure, the arboretum, now managed by the Township of Wilmot, continues to face issues with keeping trees healthy.

Several of the oldest and largest trees have been lost in recent years to storm damage or disease, and there is ongoing work by the township and arboretum task force to rehabilitate the space.

Highlighting the importance of these elder oak trees, Nicola Gailits from Reep Green Solutions noted the oak tree supports up to 500 species of caterpillars, which is crucial for bird populations.

“Oaks have a huge potential to support a biodiversity of insects and habitat. And so, when we look at supporting our insects, supporting our pollinators, supporting our decomposers, one way we can support everything is specifically caterpillars.

“The way that this happened was over millennia, oak trees and caterpillars actually co-evolved so the caterpillars could handle oak leaves.”

Gailits said protecting mature oak trees is one of the most effective ways to improve biodiversity in local communities.

To learn more about the work of Reep Green Solutions’ donor-funded Tree Trust program, visit www.reepgreen.ca/tree-trust.