80-year-old elm tree saved in Selkirk
80-year-old elm tree saved in Selkirk

An 80-year-old elm tree in Selkirk has been saved from construction damage with some creative city planning.
The tree, located in front of the Royal Canadian Legion at 403 Eveline Street, has an extensive root system that had grown under the existing street pavement. When it came time to repave the road, special care had to be taken in order to keep the tree alive.
“It’s a huge tree, one of the city’s oldest and nicest,” said Selkirk’s newly hired Naturalization Coordinator, Mihali Schindle. “Obviously we wanted to preserve it.
“We decided we would protect the root zone on the road side by creating a garden bed that would go out on the curb side about three metres and that would allow for additional soil to be put back down on the root zone instead of paving over this area.”
The result will be a small green area around the tree.
Selkirk’s Director of Operations Dan McDermid said it’s a measure that would not have happened ten years ago.
“We’ve changed the way we do things … and we’re committed to protecting and enhancing our urban forest,” McDermid said.
The city has developed a long-term care plan for the tree that includes watering, fertilizing and maintenance, as well as monitoring it for Dutch elm disease.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors call for action as growing number of Canadians dying from common food preservative
Doctors are among those calling for tighter regulation of sodium nitrite as a growing number of Canadians are dying after intentionally ingesting unsafe quantities of the common food preservative in its pure form.

Well-known Brampton, Ont. real estate agent, media personality savagely attacked outside home
A well-known real estate agent and media personality in Brampton, Ont. was viciously attacked in broad daylight in his own driveway by three men, two of whom appeared to be wielding an axe and a machete.
Police seize handguns, drugs in alleged Ontario, U.S. criminal takedown
Police in Ontario say they have taken down a criminal network they allege trafficked cocaine and fentanyl and smuggled guns into Canada from the U.S.
Donald Trump 'took the Fifth.' What does it actually mean?
Former U.S. President Donald Trump showed up Wednesday for questioning under oath in New York's civil investigation into his business practices. But he quickly made clear he wouldn't be answering.
Majority of Canadian children experience cyberbullying: global study
A new global study by computer security software company McAfee has found that 60 per cent of Canadian children as young as 10 have experienced some form of cyberbullying.
Two children at centre of Sask. Amber Alert found safe in South Dakota, suspect arrested
The Meade County Sheriff’s Office in South Dakota said it has arrested the man wanted in connection with an Amber Alert in Saskatchewan.
Canadian Forces Snowbirds grounded in wake of B.C. crash
The Royal Canadian Air Force has grounded the Snowbirds aerobatic team after one of the jets suffered a hard landing last week in northern British Columbia.
N.S. boosts cash reward for information in boy's shooting death to $250,000
Nova Scotia’s unsolved crimes program is offering its largest reward ever for information in the case of a little boy shot and killed in Dartmouth in December.
Can the spread of monkeypox be stopped?
Since May, nearly 90 countries have reported more than 31,000 cases of monkeypox. The World Health Organization classified the escalating outbreak of the once-rare disease as an international emergency in July; the U.S. declared it a national emergency last week.