Ragweed season is upon us, and for people who suffer from allergies, this can be an extremely miserable time of the year.

Results from the Canadian Urban Allergy Audit, conducted in the Spring, have now come in, and the results alone are not necessarily encouraging.

The audit shows 96 per cent of the trees in Toronto are male. horticulturalists say that’s a common phenomenon, because there’s less maintenance associated with male trees.

The problem here is, female trees are the ones that catch pollen. With so few female trees in the city, a large portion of the pollen actually remains in the air.

There is a reason for hope, however, as horticulturist Thomas Leo Ogren says officials in this city are open to change.

“They were very interested in what they called emerging issues,” Ogren said.

He spent some time with Toronto’s top tree planters, and he said they were very receptive to making things better for those who suffer from allergies.

The study was contracted by Reactine.