Trees and the Valley Line LRT
TransEd approaches construction along the Valley Line Southeast route with great care and regard for both the environment and the protective measures put in place by the City of Edmonton. In order to construct and operate the 13.1 km Valley Line Southeast LRt (Light Rail Transit), some trees need to be removed from City property, including boulevards in front of residences or open spaces.
TransEd is following the City of Edmonton’s Corporate Tree Management Policy (C456A), which directs specific tree protection, preservation, and replacement guidelines for construction. This means that greenery that is temporarily or permanently lost due to LRT construction will be relocated or replaced.
With respect to tree removal:
• Each tree affected has been assessed and recorded by the City and TransEd.
• Under the Tree policy, TransEd compensated the City for each tree being removed.
• TransEd is committed to removing as few trees as possible. In fact, as crews move through the areas, they have already been able to reduce the number of trees removed in some locations.
• There will be a full landscaping plan that will see new plantings as part of the project.
• Tree cutting will occur outside of the bird nesting season, so as to not disrupt nesting migratory birds.
Where it is necessary to remove trees the following is taken into consideration:
• Is the tree of an age that the roots could damage the alignment of the train?
• Will the location of the trees affect the operation of the train or be in the way of a noise attenuation wall or shared use path?
• Will the trees be in the way of utility lines?
• What is the size of the tree? Larger trees will not survive any attempt at relocation.
• What is the species of the tree? Sometimes cutting near the roots of a tree is enough to cause it to fail.
Did you know?
TransEd is planting more than 10 times the numbers of trees and shrubs it is removing.
Trees by the numbers
The following numbers represent the specific number of tree removals and replacement trees that will be planted. Please note that the ‘total removals’ represents that maximum number of trees that may be removed – again, whenever a tree can be left in place, crews will attempt to do so.
Removals
Total maximum number of trees that could be removed: 1,605
New Plantings
Total new plantings of trees, shrubs and perennials: 16,777
Landscaping along the Valley Line LRT alignment will take place post construction.