The City of London is helping Londoners maintain their large veteran trees for longer and protect against European Gypsy Moths (EGM) by offering a one-year pilot Veteran Tree Incentive Program (VTIP) as of March 1, 2021.
“The aim of this program is to keep London’s largest, most important trees alive as long as possible while allowing younger trees to thrive,” says Sara Rowland, Urban Forestry Planner at the City of London.
This new pilot program will offer financial assistance to Londoners who are actively caring for their veteran trees, helping maintain them for longer and provide alternatives to removal. A percentage of eligible costs (usually 25 per cent) may be claimed by households up to a maximum of $1,000 per tree.
“The Veteran Tree Incentive Program demonstrates the City’s continued commitment to find solutions to help meet the goals of our Urban Forest Strategy,” says Kelly Scherr, Managing Director, Environmental & Engineering Services, and City Engineer at the City of London. “This new initiative will help homeowners protect and care for their large and old trees to keep them healthy for as long as possible for the benefit of our entire community.”
Some examples of work that may be eligible include pruning the tree to good arboricultural standards to preserve the tree for longer, having an arborist or arboricultural professional assist in EGM egg mass scraping, or planting new trees near a veteran tree. Further details about these types of eligible work can be found on the City’s website.
At this time, the program is available on a first-come, first-served basis and is not available to businesses, condo corporations, or any other types of tree owners.
Households can learn more about the new program and their eligibility by emailing treeprotection@london.ca or visiting the City’s website.