I know that feeling of frustration - the biking booty shorts will be in hibernation soon...

What are you going to wear when treating @AlbertC and I to that meal at https://www.danicotoronto.com/ ?

I was totally banking on the booty shorts; picturing the staff as you pick up the tab for our 1k adventure while wearing those......

Somethings money can buy; some are priceless! LOL
 
all true - BUT
Given that the issue is one of structural stability, not disease, it is unfortunate that the City is unwilling to spend the money utilizing various methods to fill the cavities and to stabilize the tree, .. this is done in MANY places around the world and closer to home at U of T, to preserve the 100+ year old trees . City staff has not done analysis to determine if there are any ways the tree could be stabilized using these traditional methods.

Super critical the City finds a way to shore up and protect our oldest trees - the long term risk of losing our mature canopy is huge... as you know these trees are some of our most critical climate / pollution mitigation tools... If each time a healthy mature tree poses a “structural” risk is chopped we are doomed.

I missed this bit of this thread originally.......odd that no one tagged me, ah well.

I should chime in here. Filling in tree cavities is frowned on these days.

It's considered to do more harm than good.

There are different materials that were tried over the years, but in general the following was found:

1) Use of hard materials like cement create problems, one of which is that they don't bend or sway in wind the way trees do, and they can impair a tree's natural movement. Another is that in covering any infection, they can actually obstruct the trees
natural defences against disease.

2) Use of soft materials such as expanding foam may serve to keep insects out, but they do not add any structural support.


1696688775073.png

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from: https://tgaw.wordpress.com/2008/10/14/cavity-filling/

In general, the best practice in the arboricultural industry right now is that if a tree were hollow in a forest, or low-risk setting, you leave it and let nature take its course. But in a high-risk scenario like a well used playground or public space, the tree must be removed.
 
It always seems like a shame to me for all that beautiful wood to get tossed in the wood chipper. There should be a process to save and sell or donate at least the trunk pieces to local craftspeople
 
I managed to get a sneak peek into the Food Hall construction on Saturday, Oct 14 as part of the Heritage Toronto bus tour.

Spoiler alert: this is going to be an exceptional public space.


Most windows were bricked up almost to the top in order to block the sunlight back when this was the Waterworks building. The windows were restored true to the original with single pain glass in a steel frame:

1000007211-01.jpeg



The vaulted skylight was covered by plywood and shingles when this was Waterworks. The building was not air-conditioned, so the workers blocked most of the sunlight to control the temperature in the summer. The skylight was restored to its original glory along the full length of the Food Hall.

1000007225-01.jpeg


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The structural metalwork was preserved in a slick gunmetal grey. Looks fantastic.

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They had to remove the overhead gantry for the shoring work. The gantry was later placed back atop its rails, complete with the crane hook:

1000007220-01.jpeg



The lighting fixtures...

1000007214-01.jpeg



The staircase to the mezzanine level is finished with end-grain wood blocks which harken back to the original flooring of the Waterworks. They were originally planning to install these as flooring but decided against it due to longevity concerns. The staircases also display brass water pipe fittings that used to connect pipes here:

1000007212-01.jpeg


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Food stalls are being outfitted:

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No concrete date of opening.
 
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I managed to get a sneak peek into the Food Hall construction on Saturday, Oct 14 as part of the Heritage Toronto bus tour.

Spoiler alert: this is going to be an exceptional public space.


Most windows were bricked up almost to the top in order to block the sunlight back when this was the Waterworks building. The windows were restored true to the original with single pain glass in a steel frame:

View attachment 514063


The vaulted skylight was covered by plywood and shingles when this was Waterworks. The building was not air-conditioned, so the workers blocked most of the sunlight to control the temperature in the summer. The skylight was restored to its original glory along the full length of the Food Hall.

View attachment 514049

View attachment 514059

View attachment 514056


The structural metalwork was preserved in a slick gunmetal grey. Looks fantastic.

View attachment 514052

View attachment 514053

View attachment 514055


They had to remove the overhead gantry for the shoring work. The gantry was later placed back atop its rails, complete with the crane hook:

View attachment 514054


The lighting fixtures...

View attachment 514060


The staircase to the mezzanine level is finished with end-grain wood blocks which harken back to the original flooring of the Waterworks. They were originally planning to install these as flooring but decided against it due to longevity concerns. The staircases also display brass water pipe fittings that used to connect pipes here:

View attachment 514062

View attachment 514071


Food stalls are being outfitted:

View attachment 514050

View attachment 514051

View attachment 514057

View attachment 514058


No concrete date of opening.
Simply stunning. The biking booty shorts await its opening...though I need an actual bike first...
 
Eva's Phoenix provides housing within 60 Brant street for homeless youth.

A motion to next week's Council meeting seeks to address outstanding streetscaping required for their frontage on Brant Street.


From the above:

View attachment 463976
***

The frontage in question, currently:

View attachment 463977

The streetscape has now been re-done: Photo taken Nov 5th, 2023:

DSC02810.jpg


DSC02809.jpg


As the quote above obscures the 'before' shot:

1699305515651.png
 
aspen trees

You're expanding your savant range from bricks to trees?

LOL

***

I didn't play close attention when I walked by, so you got me looking at the pics, I concurred, but as I hate being wrong, I sent the pics to a forester for a double-take.

The consensus was Trembling Aspen; with no leaf or bud visible, difficult to distinguish from Eastern Cottonwood; but that would be an improbable choice, so Aspen it is.

***

The forester was not convinced of virtue of the all-Aspen choice.

I got this back.

"They can do well for 5-10 years but then they’ll start to get hypoxylon canker when they get about 6” DBH and die off. It kills individuals but the colony will continue on. Likely better to plant a mix."

I get what they were thinking, given that these were next to the building, they were thinking columnar trees as well as fast growing.

But anytime you go entirely with one species and/or genus you're a high risk of something going wrong, and nixing all your trees.

Aspen, being colonial, also offer a different challenge, new ones popping up everywhere, which will mess w/the shrub and tree pattern.

Cottonwood are also colonial and would offer the same issue.

***

I like Aspen, more urban-tolerant than Birch, but offer a somewhat similar look (not as white, not a peel'ish bark) but still.

I think it may have been wiser to organize this slightly differently. Still a vast improvement over using the boulevard for parking.
 
Shame about the four yellow posts in the pedestrian way protecting a metal grating. Obstacles like this are a threat to those with low vision, and it is only a matter of time before some real estate agent parks their board(s) in the protected space.
Anyone know why we need four waist-high bollards to protect a small metal grating?
 
Shame about the four yellow posts in the pedestrian way protecting a metal grating. Obstacles like this are a threat to those with low vision, and it is only a matter of time before some real estate agent parks their board(s) in the protected space.
Anyone know why we need four waist-high bollards to protect a small metal grating?
Looks to be left over from the vehicle parking, they didn't want wheel loads on the grate. But now that cars don't park there, I imagine they thought it was easier to just leave them.
 

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