As Montrealers recover from the ice storm that pummelled parts of Quebec on April 5, workers are busy clearing streets and sidewalks of fallen branches throughout the city.
Although it is still too early to assess the extent of the damage to public property, the City of Montreal reports that since the ice storm began, its 311 service has recorded more than 920 requests to report fallen trees and more than 4,560 requests for broken branches.
Usually, in that timeframe, only about ten reports are made for fallen branches or trees.
In an email to The Canadian Press, the City of Montreal said the numbers were "grossly underestimated as the figures presented do not include data from parks."
Five days after the storm, work to clear public spaces continues around the clock in most areas of the city.
Tree maintenance along streets and in local parks is the boroughs' responsibility. Professionals such as forestry engineers, arboriculture inspectors and tree trimmers assess the damage before deciding on the necessary steps. Trees that pose immediate safety concerns are removed.
Due to the heavy ice build-up, even healthy trees had to be cut down. It is unknown now how many trees were downed due to the storm.
The Service des grands parcs, du Mont-Royal et des sports manages the large parks and nature parks such as Frederick-Back Park or Ile-de-la-Visitation Nature Park. Trees cut down in these parks are sent to the Centre de valorisation des bois urbains to be transformed into boards or chips for pulp.
Branches collected by city crews at the curb are transported to the Saint-Michel Environmental Complex.
The material is then transformed into wood chips for various uses, such as manufacturing particleboard used in construction.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on April 10, 2023.
