The major impact of the Christmas ice storm was caused by — and endured by — our city’s trees. Leaside and Bennington Heights were particularly affected because our tree canopy is so significant.

Throughout the following weeks, 240 crews will be hard at work in the city performing tree-related hazard abatement in parkland, public pathways and roadways.

That project will be followed immediately by remedial work over most of the rest of the year. The goal will be to restore and stabilize all affected city-owned trees as fully as possible.

Where trees are to be retained, crown restoration pruning will be carried out.

Where tops of trees were lost and the future health of the trees has been severely compromised, crews may remove the stems and stumps entirely and restore the ground.

The total estimated cost of this work is expected to approach $50 million city-wide.

Plans call for a program of tree replacement to be developed in cases where the tree loss has been significant.

You may have already heard that an estimated 20 per cent of the city’s tree coverage was lost in the storm — a devastating reality that the city must now cope with.

You may also be aware that, even before the storm, the city was already bracing for a loss of that magnitude as a result of an emerald ash borer infestation.

If there is a positive side to this for us, it is that many of the affected trees in our area are reaching the end of their natural life and can now be replaced by young, hardy, native species.