Death of woman hit by branch in Toronto park highlights need for maintenance: arborists – Toronto | Globalnews.ca

Arborists in Toronto say the death of a woman who was hit by a falling branch in a popular park has highlighted the need for better maintenance of the city’s more than 3.5 million trees in public spaces.

Pari Nadimi, a 71-year-old owner of an art gallery, died days after being struck by a falling branch in Trinity Bellwoods Park.

While such occurences are rare, arborists Michael Addison and Todd Irvine say trees that are not properly maintained or inspected can pose a danger.

They say the city should prioritize trees in parks with heavy pedestrian traffic.

Arborist Wayne Anthony says trees that could pose problems should be inspected every six months, but notes that can be difficult given how many trees there are in public spaces across the city.

The city has said that its staff conduct inspections of trees across Toronto throughout the year but cases of falling branches can still happen, even with healthy trees.