Pick up a Tree Watering Bag on August 1
The City is providing free tree watering bags to residents who received a new street tree last year or this year to replace trees lost in the 2025 ice storm. Young trees require care to help establish their roots. The planting contractor will water your boulevard tree once a month, but additional watering is very helpful. The watering bag is easy to use and will greatly benefit your new tree.
If you would like a watering bag for your new street tree, visit Sunnidale Park (265 Sunnidale Road) on August 1, 9am–12:30pm and provide your address to receive a tree watering bag and instruction sheet. Thank you for helping grow a greener Barrie and restore our urban tree canopy!
Limited quantities available; bags will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis.
The City is committed to beautifying and improving the urban environment through the introduction of trees on City-owned road rights-of-way. Each year, the City undertakes a Street Tree Pruning Program.
Street trees are planted on the area of City-owned land between the property owner’s front property line and the street curb. These areas can be:
- on the boulevard (between the sidewalk and the curb).
- within a set distance from the curb, in instances where there is no sidewalk. Note this distance varies and is dependent on the individual property limits.
As such, these trees are municipal property.
Street Tree Watering Program
Tree watering bags are being provided to residents who are willing to help water a newly planted boulevard tree, which need to be watered regularly once a week from May to October. This creates and sustains a healthy urban forest in Barrie.
If you received, requested, or picked up a water bag for a tree planted in 2025 or 2026, you may keep the bag and reuse it each growing season.
Street Tree Pruning Program
Forestry staff undertake the Street Tree Pruning Program throughout each year, pruning approximately 3,500 street trees as part of maintenance requirements for clearance from streets, lights, signs, sidewalks, lawns, as well as to remove crowded branches, structurally weak branches, dead branches, etc. The primary purpose of the program is tree health and public safety.
2026 Pruning Program
In addition to the pruning completed by City staff each year, the City contracts out the pruning of street trees within different areas. A number of streets within Ward 3 were identified for planned pruning by the current pruning contractor, Wes’ Tree Service. The work began on in February and was completed in May.
If you're located outside of the above area and feel your street tree requires pruning, please email your address and photos of the concern to ServiceBarrie@barrie.ca or visit ServiceBarrie.ca and create/log in to your account (choose "Parks and Trees" and the form will walk you through the appropriate steps).
Street Tree Pruning FAQs
Did you know? Boulevard gardens are an excellent way to beautify your neighbourhood and support the ecosystem by planting native species.
