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More than 1,500 newly planted trees will be drinking from bags instead of sprinklers, in a city pilot project expected to boost the saplings’ chances of survival.
The special green polyethylene water bags can hold up to 64 litres, and will be bound and wrapped around the bases of the trees.
The plan is expected to save the City of Ottawa’s forestry services both time and water.
David Barkley, the manager of forestry services, said residents have expressed concerns about wasting water, as crews pour an average of 125 litres every week onto newly planted trees.
Concern about water waste
Much of that water either evaporates or trickles onto the sidewalk before it has the chance to reach the tree roots.
“It’s been a concern raised by the public over time as we water trees,” Barkley said.
“This is a step in the right direction. I think it makes a good use of the water we produce.”
The bags, which cost $20 each, are nearly a metre long and will use half as much water as before. The bags placed around the base of the trees are filled with water, which gradually disperses over several hours from small perforations, explained Maria McRae, the chair of the environment committee.
Bags used in other big cities
“You can see how we fill the bag up, it slowly trickles into the root system, so we’re not wasting water,” McRae said during a demonstration.
She added that the project shows Ottawa’s commitment to finding efficiencies.
“We want to make sure that everything is on the table, as far as this term of council goes, for ideas, and nothing is too small as you can see here today,” she said.
The city will install the water bags on about a quarter of its young trees before re-evaluating the project. The same kinds of bags are already being used in other major Canadian and U.S. cities, including Toronto, Boston and Chicago.
Copyright © CBC 2011
Full article: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/story/2011/06/06/ott-tree-water-bags068.html