The warm fall weather has enabled city crews to complete the cleanup of downed trees and debris from 227 communities in the city three weeks ahead of schedule.

The heavy snow in September damaged thousands of trees across the city and crews removed more than 19 million kilograms (or 19,000 tonnes) of debris from yards and green spaces.

Crews worked around the clock to ensure that the mounds of broken branches were picked up before the snow flies again.

“We are extremely proud to have completed this work in just four weeks,” said Nico Bernard, manager of The City’s Tactical Operations Centre. “We can now focus our attention on removing tree debris from parks and some major roads, as well as continuing to cut down branches that pose a public safety threat.”

So far they have taken 25,000 loads to city landfills for mulching.

The city says anyone who still has tree debris can take it to the following disposal sites:

  • City landfills:  Fees are waived for all tree debris not mixed with garbage until Nov. 9.
  • Leaf & Pumpkin drop-offs:  32 temporary collection sites open until Nov. 9 for tree debris, leaves and pumpkins.

Smaller branches (no thicker than three inches) can also be cut into metre lengths, tied together and left inside or next to black carts.

“There are over 500,000 public trees in Calgary, and preliminary assessments indicate that about 50% have been damaged,” said Bernard. “Some trees will require corrective pruning, which Parks will begin right away and continue until the end of next year. Others will need to be replanted, which we will start in the spring and may take up to two years to complete.”

The city is asking people not to remove ribbons that were placed on trees to indicate that a preliminary assessment was conducted and the tree needs pruning.

“Our commitment to Calgarians is to let citizens know through signage when a tree must be removed. Ribbons do not indicate that a tree is coming out; rather, they signify that the tree needs to be pruned.”

Some trees that likely won’t survive will also have signs posted to indicate removal at a later date.

The city is reminding people not to dump debris in parks or other areas of Calgary and say offenders can face a fine of $250.

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