With no precipitation in the forecast for the next several days, the City of Sarnia is asking residents to help them water trees on their properties.
A lack of rain lately has put Sarnia-Lambton in drought conditions and there's concern that trees could die off.
Manager of Parks, Forestry and Horticulture Patti Ross said the north end is especially vulnerable, and staffing shortages this summer are preventing them from watering trees as much as they'd like to.
"The north end is a little more prone because of the sandy soil so that's obviously a priority area, but all of the trees need water this time of year even your home trees," she said. "The benefits of the trees as a canopy for the whole city are well-known. They create oxygen so we can breathe, they help with UV protection, and they sequester carbon dioxide."
Ross said the ideal method for watering trees is to allow the water to trickle slowly from the hose for about half an hour.
She said this allows the water to penetrate deeper into the roots and avoids water runoff on the dry surface.
Younger trees are more impacted by drought conditions because they have shallow, undeveloped root systems.
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