Dean_2005

Dean J (2005) “Said tree is a veritable nuisance”: Ottawa’s Street Trees 1869-1939 Urban History Review 34(1):28-45. https://www.jstor.org/stable/43562344

Keywords: Canada, historical, urban trees

  • Street trees were planted in the second half of the nineteenth century across North America

  • Ottawa’s urban forest peaked in 1932

    • Horticultural Society lobbied for less trees that were better maintained

  • Many of the most vocal defenders of forests in the 1800s/1900s lived in cities

    • the rise of the environmental movement followed Dutch Elm Disease in urban neighbourhoods

  • Ottawa implemented a ordinance to encourage tree planting in 1869, and then the trees were aggressively removed and pruned in the 1920s

  • When Ottawa was urbanized, all trees were removed

  • Ottawa as the capital was disappointed that the Americans had more trees in their cities and followed suit

  • Street trees became a sign of wealth and when they were removed, residents were compensated

  • The relationship between street trees and society evolved, until they served a smaller, specific role managed by the city