Beavers taking a toll on this Winnipeg neighbourhood's tree canopy
Some busy beavers have been taking a toll on a Winnipeg neighbourhood's tree canopy, prompting a group of residents to work with the city to save the trees.
You may not see a beaver while walking along the river trail near Churchill Drive, but you will see the evidence that the tree-gnawing rodent has been at work.
"They have taken a significant number of trees down and they have taken large ones down," said Pam Lawrence, the treasurer of Trees Riverview, a community group working to protect public trees.
Trees Riverview is partnering with the city this month to save the trees in the area from the beavers' buck teeth.
"I think that a lot of Riverview residents have been calling in and have been quite concerned about the beaver damage," Lawrence said. "We're in such a trade deficit in our city anyway – it seems like why not protect any tree that we possibly can in public areas?"
Ken Allen, a communications coordinator with the City's Public Works Department, told CTV News the city is planning to work with the volunteers to wrap trees along Churchill Drive with sturdy wire such as hardware cloth or stucco wire.
"Tree wrapping prevents beavers from being able to access and chew on the trunk of the tree," Allen said in an email.
He said not all neighbourhoods require tree wrapping, as the number of trees wrapped each year depends on beaver activity, potential damage, and volunteer engagement "Wrapping is done in areas where beaver damage to trees can be limited through wrapping activity and often areas where volunteers are actively involved."
Tree wrapping, the Winnipeg Humane Society says, is a good way to deal with beavers and is highly encouraged.
"It's a great initiative to see the City of Winnipeg and community members come together to try and do what they can to prevent certain properties and trees from being damaged by beavers," said Brittany Semeniuk, an animal welfare specialist with the humane society.
She said the Winnipeg Humane Society has helped wrap trees in the past, as it is a humane alternative to culls or traps – methods of control the WHS has previously spoken out against.
"There really isn't a lot of harm done by doing these wrapping procedures. The beavers will either move to an area where they have more access to trees, or they will just move into a forested area to get access to trees."
Lawrence said Trees Riverview is planning to hold a tree wrapping event with the City of Winnipeg on May 28, depending on the weather. The city said wrapping a tree requires a full width of wire of 48” to be used as the height. The wire, which should not be chicken wire, must be wrapped loosely around the tree to prevent strangling the tree.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Fluid in eye cells can 'boil' if you watch the eclipse without protection: expert
Millions of people in parts of Eastern and Atlantic Canada will be able to see the rare solar eclipse happening on April 8. But they should only look up if they have proper eye protection, experts say.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
NEW More unauthorized products for skin, sexual enhancement, recalled: Here are the recalls of this week
Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency recalled various items this week, including torches, beef biltong and unauthorized products related to skin care and sexual enhancement.
Where is the worst place for allergy sufferers in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Do these exercises for core strength if you can't stomach doing planks
Planks are one of the most effective exercises for strengthening your midsection, as they target all of your major core muscles: the transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis, external obliques and internal obliques. Yet despite the popularity of various 10-minute plank challenges, planking is actually one of the most dreaded core exercises, according to many fitness experts.
He didn't trust police but sought their help anyway. Two days later, he was dead
Jameek Lowery was among more than 330 Black people who died after police stopped them with tactics that aren’t supposed to be deadly, like physical restraint and use of stun guns, The Associated Press found.
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Polar ice is melting and changing Earth's rotation. It's messing with time itself
One day in the next couple of years, everyone in the world will lose a second of their time. Exactly when that will happen is being influenced by humans, according to a new study, as melting polar ice alters the Earth’s rotation and changes time itself.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.