Toronto’s colourful cherry blossoms slowly withering away

An annual Toronto traditional – and a major tourist draw – is in danger of withering away, quite literally.

Thousands flock to High Park every spring to see the cherry blossom’s bloom. However, experts are warning the fiery colours may soon disappear.

The typical life span of a cherry blossom tree is between 25 and 40 years and about 85 per cent of the trees in High Park are nearly 60 years old.

“Some of the oldest ones, you can really tell them, they’re pretty gnarly,” said Diana Teal, the executive director of the High Park Nature Centre.

Teal adds that it’s “just incredible” that some of the older trees still have blooms. She predicts many of the trees will die off at the same time and she’s urging the city to start the replanting process very soon.

The trees were a gift from the Japanese government in 1959. Right now, the city says it has no concrete plans to replace them, opting for wait for another donation of some form. The last planting was in 2006 when 14 trees were replaced.

A city spokesperson acknowledged the issue in a statement to CityNews.

“While we have not lost a single tree since our last planting in 2006, we know that we need a proactive plan for maintaining and growing the aging grove of cherry trees that bring us the blossoms every spring,” wrote Matthew Cutler of Toronto Parks, Forestry and Recreation.

“This grove was planted in partnership with our friends at the Japanese and Tokyo governments and other donors as a symbol of our enduring international relationships, and we will work to ensure this partnership continues in High Park and across the City.”