We have had some inquiries about the “tree pits” around the trees planted in the new parkettes at Spruce and Parliament Streets and Amelia and Parliament Streets. Our friends at the BIA spoke with the designers, city and construction staff and asked about them. The material *is* porous to allow water through and there will be a cut out around the base of each trunk of a few inches to allow the tree some room to expand (the cut out will be filled with some small gravel).

The workers first fill all the way to the trunk and let it harden before cutting away which ensures a cleaner cut. Also the pits that have the higher mounds (Amelia and Parliament) are to protect the exposed roots. The only other way would have to been to cut the roots to keep the surface flat, but that would harm the tree so they decided to go “up and over” with the mound so that the tree stays intact. Prior to the project beginning, the city sent an arborist out to confirm that this treatment would not be detrimental to the health of the tree.

Here are some pictures taken by local residents if you have no idea what we’re referring to!

Hi @Cabbagetown_BIA, do these new rubber mounds let the trees breathe? What's the purpose of them? Cc @todd_irvine pic.twitter.com/zv6uqKur71

— Robert Ruggiero (@robert_ruggiero) October 20, 2016

Some people have inquired about whether there will be room for the “Christmas Tree Lot” (torontoist.com) at Spruce and Parliament Streets (there will be (twitter.com)).

There have also been questions around whether seating areas should have been included in the parkette designs (some residents for, some residents against) – expect more to come.