THE City of Surrey is launching a campaign to ask residents to help water trees along their street this summer.

With the warmer weather, many of Surrey’s 80,000 street trees need extra water to survive. While City staff are focussed on watering newly planted trees, residents are being asked to help water the older trees along their street.  

The best way to water an older tree is at the tree’s drip line which is the area on the ground located under the outer edges of the tree’s branches. Trees also need to be watered slowly so they can absorb the water through their roots.

Residents can water trees by using a soaker hose coiled around the drip line or by using a large bucket with small holes drilled in the bottom. This method involves filling the bucket with water, placing it at the drip line, letting the water drain slowly and then repeating in several places around the tree’s drip line. Ideally, trees should be watered twice a week.   

The City notes that caring for trees is vital for a thriving and healthy community. They improve air and water quality, provide important wildlife habitat, prevent soil erosion, and reduce the impacts of stormwater flooding. They also help mitigate the urban heat island effect by cooling the air and providing shade in built up areas. 

The street tree watering program is one of the ways the City of Surrey helps take care of the urban forest. 

The City of Surrey has free tree watering buckets with pre-drilled holes in the bottom available for residents. To request a free bucket to water older street trees, call 604-501-5050.   

To learn more about how to keep trees healthy visit surrey.ca/trees.