You may have noticed the new trees that have been added to the existing landscaping on the Douglas grounds. In all, 45 trees of varying species have been planted at the campus not only to improve the quality of life for visitors but also to promote a healthy environment. Indeed, planted vegetation compensates for the heat island effect created by hard concrete or asphalt materials.

Planting trees is an effective initiative that may seem simple on the surface but that in fact requires a lot of preparation. Since a number of trees die every year from lightning strikes, injury or disease, Douglas employee Fanny Debonnet first had to inventory all of the trees on the grounds to identify the dead, diseased or mature trees that needed replacing.

She then had to decide which species to integrate with the existing vegetation. “Varying species helps promote botanical diversity both on the grounds of the Institute and in Montreal. You definitely won’t find these trees on every street corner in the city,” Fanny explained, adding that “variety also supports faunal diversity, especially among nesting birds.”

When the time came to plant the various butternuts, blue oaks, and ironwoods, we solicited the help of students in landscape design from the École des métiers du Faubourg and the École d’horticulture du Jardin Botanique. These students put their expertise to work at the Douglas on what to them seemed like a huge playground!

The result of our tree planting initiative will be admired for many years to come, particularly in the spring, when the new eastern redbuds come into full bloom.