As a local resident, it saddens me to see the dying elm trees along Memorial Avenue in Parksville.
Has anyone else noticed that the trees on the corners of McMillan and the Alberni Highway are dead or dying?
These trees were planted in memory of our First World War veterans.
It would be shameful if they were allowed to die due to simple neglect (lack of watering).
Last summer’s heat and drought have reduced the groundwater table. With the driest March on record this year, there has been no replenishment. This summer’s weather forecast calls for more hot dry spells that will further stress these elm trees.
If these trees are to be saved, the City of Parksville should initiate an ongoing watering program. Climate change is killing our trees. Most of the Western Red Cedar trees around Parksville have died over the last three years.
Please water your trees and save them for our future.
Rene Pelkman
French Creek