The Annex is one of Toronto’s most well-treed neighbourhoods, and we want to protect our beautiful urban forest!
TreesPlease is a project of the Annex Residents’ Association that began in 2009. Over a period of four summers, all the trees in the Annex over 5 cm diameter were assessed using the Neighbourwoods© protocol. Teams of forestry students and numerous volunteers logged more than 10,000 trees in the TreesPlease inventory of Annex trees.
Just over three-quarters of the trees growing in the Annex are on private property, so it is our responsibility as community members to maintain and protect our neighbourhood trees.
There are about 80 species of trees found in the Annex. These include both native and non-native varieties.
Maples make up the largest tree species group found in the Annex, about 30% of all of our trees. These include Amur, black, Freeman, Japanese, Manitoba, Norway, red, silver, sugar, and sycamore maples. However, the most numerous type of maple growing in the Annex is the Norway maple. Not only are they non-native and invasive, but they also crowd out native and local species, such as the sugar maple. There are 1084 Norway maples in in the Annex; they make up 42% of all the maples in our neighbourhood.
Many of the trees in Toronto are being hurt by urban development, the expansion of city infrastructure and our day-to-day activities. Some of these threats include:
Most of the trees in the Annex - about 76% of them - are growing on private property. While trees are a source of enjoyment, many homeowners don’t realize that trees require monitoring and maintenance to keep them healthy.
Of the more than 10,000 trees in the TreesPlease inventory of Annex trees, 263 or 3% belong to ash species. They are currently threatened by the emerald ash borer that is spreading throughout the city. It is estimated that the epidemic will kill nearly all the ash trees in Toronto in the next 5 years.
The emerald ash borer is an invasive insect from Asia that inhabits and feeds on all species of ash. Emerald ash borers kill ash trees by tunneling and feeding underneath their bark, disrupting the flow of nutrients and water within the tree. Infected trees usually die within 2-3 years. The City of Toronto has been removing dead ash trees from city streets and parks, and injecting healthier trees to prevent infestation. But ash trees on private property do not fall under city jurisdiction, and the financial responsibility for treatment or removal of such trees lies with the home owner.
Here are some tips on how to identify ash trees in your backyard:
1 – Bark – mature trees will have tight diamond-shaped ridge patterns.
2 - Leaves – they contain 5 to 11 leaflets with smooth or toothed margins that are arranged opposite to each other.
3 - Seeds – the seeds hang in clusters, are smooth, and oar-shaped.
4 - Branches – they are arranged opposite to each other.
Tree Name |
Moisture Requirement |
Soil Requirement |
Suitable Light Conditions |
Maximum Height |
Silver maple |
moist-wet |
sand, loam, clay |
full sun to partial shade |
35 metres |
Red maple |
moist-wet |
sand, loam |
partial shade to full sun |
25 metres |
Sugar maple |
moist-wet |
loam, clay |
partial shade to full shade |
35 metres |
Northern hackberry |
dry-wet |
loam, clay |
full sun to partial shade |
15 metres |
Balsam poplar |
moist-wet |
sand, silt |
full |
25 metres |
Basswood |
dry-wet |
sand, loam |
partial shade to full shade |
30 metres |
Trembling aspen |
moist |
sand, loam, clay |
full sun |
25 metres |
American elm |
well-drained |
loam, clay |
full sun to partial shade |
24 metres |
Alternate-leaf dogwood |
well-drained |
silt or clay |
full sun to partial shade |
10 metres |
American beech |
moist |
loam |
partial shade to full shade |
25 metres |
Blue beech |
moist |
loam, sandy-loam |
full shade to partial sun |
8 metres |
Ironwood |
dry-moist |
clay, sand, loam |
full shade to full sun |
10 metres |
Pin oak |
well-drained |
clay, loam, sandy |
full sun |
23 metres |
Red oak |
dry-moist |
sand to loamy-clay |
full sun to partial shade |
25 metres |
White oak |
dry-moist |
sand, sandy-loam |
full sun to partial shade |
35 metres |
Bur oak |
dry-wet |
loam, clay |
full sun to partial shade |
15 metres |
Black oak |
dry-moist |
sand |
full sun to partial shade |
20 metres |
American chestnut |
well-drained |
sand, loam |
full sun to partial shade |
23 metres |
Bitternut hickory |
moist |
sand, loam |
full sun to partial shade |
25 metres |
Butternut |
dry-moist |
loam |
full sun |
25 metres |
Black cherry |
dry-moist |
sand, loam |
full sun to partial shade |
22 metres |
Red mulberry |
well-drained |
loam |
full sun |
20 metres |
Chokecherry |
moist, well-drained |
sandy loam, clay |
full sun |
12 metes |
Pin cherry |
dry |
sand, loam |
full sun |
12 metres |
Serviceberry |
dry-moist |
loam, sandy loam |
full sun to partial shade |
10 metres |
Sycamore |
moist-wet |
sand, loam clay |
full sun to partial shade |
30 metres |
Tamarack |
moist |
peat, wet sandy loam |
full sun |
25 metres |
Eastern white cedar |
dry-wet |
sand, loam, clay |
full sun to partial shade |
35 metres |
White birch |
dry-moist-wet |
sand, loam, gravel loam |
full sun |
25 metres |
Yellow birch |
moist |
loam, sandy loam |
full sun to partial shade |
25 metres |
The City of Toronto’s Urban Forestry Department will plant a tree free of charge on city-owned land in front of any residential, commercial, and industrial property. To order your FREE tree for your front yard click here for information about the Street Tree Planting program.
Let us know how it worked for you by emailing us at parksandtrees@theara.org