The lone spruce hanging onto the Whitehorse escarpment by its roots following multiple landslides that shut down the south access route for periods in 2022 and 2023 reminded Alex MacKay of the Yukon version of classic motivational, or demotivational, posters.
“It seemed like a very Yukon thing: life scratching and clawing at extreme angles, being persistent and adaptable and holding on in a tough environment,” MacKay said via Facebook Messenger on Feb. 27 in response to the News’ inquiry.
“I felt like this was relatable, particularly in light of some of the challenges we’ve all faced over the last few years. I know lots of people have felt frazzled, pushed to their limit, but have managed to keep it going. Even if it felt like the ground gave way beneath them. So maybe it became a symbol of acknowledging that we’ve handled tough times and are still here. Not dead yet.”
MacKay made a meme about the tree and posted it to The Yukon Memes group on Facebook on June 5, 2023.
On that June 2023 day last spring, the City of Whitehorse provided an update on another temporary Robert Service Way closure following “accelerated movement” along an area of the escarpment and a landslide the day earlier.
“Perseverance: continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficulties, failure or opposition,” reads the meme.
A former manager of superficial geology told the News by phone on Feb. 27 that the tree has been around for a long time in an unstable position on a very steep slope.
“It’s a symbol of resilience and determination,” said Jeff Bond, who recently retired from the Yukon Geological Survey and now owns a geological consulting company.
By analyzing historic air photographs, Bond found out the tree dates back to at least 1950, predating the Robert Campbell Bridge in and out of Riverdale and the Riverdale neighbourhood.
“It’s a real trooper,” he said. “It’s been kind of like watching over the community for almost at least 75 years.”
Bond identified the tree as white spruce. It has a substantial root network that’s starting to be exposed due to erosion over the years, he explained. It’s rooted in slope material called colluvium.
Bond said the tree has clung on thanks to a water seep or a moisture supply above it, whereas normally a slope like that would be quite dry, making it difficult for trees to establish. He said this tree used to have some pals nearby, like aspen, ground cover and other spruce trees.
“These friends have largely slid down the bank and are no longer there,” he observed.
Things have changed in that location, which speaks to the instability of the slope, Bond said. It is linked to the high snowfall over the last two or three winters that led to high groundwater tables, he added, noting vegetation and erosion are tied to precipitation. The groundwater accumulation surfaces on the slope in the spring, and that triggers instability.
“This tree may or may not survive,” Bond said. “If it does not survive, if it goes down in a landslide here this spring, perhaps, then that is an indication that we’ve seen increased instability, increased moisture, and, you know, likely connected to the changing climate these days.”
Bond gave his expert outlook on the landslide risk during this upcoming melt. He doesn’t expect as much slide activity compared to recent years.
“I don’t expect it to be as extreme,” he said. “There’s some vulnerable areas still that need to be monitored, just in case.”
The News noticed the evergreen has turned brown and is leaning harder than the photos Bond shared from when he worked at the site.
MacKay is “not at all confident” the tree will survive the spring melt.
“That entire slope might wind up on Robert Service Way. But roots can run deep and wide,” MacKay said. “There’s always a chance, it could dangle there for years to come.”
MacKay suggested a new route in and out of the valley may be required.
“I suppose the hill falling down is an annual thing now, or at least vigilance about it will have to be. We just have to accept that,” MacKay said. “My feeling about strategy for the city is that battling nature doesn’t usually work, and is very expensive in terms of time and energy.”
No one from the city was made available for an interview by the News’ print deadline.
By phone on Feb. 29, territorial Community Services Minister Richard Mostyn indicated he was familiar with the tree since he goes by it virtually every day.
“It’s persistent,” he said.
Mostyn said the city oversees mitigating and preparing for disasters within municipal limits. The city takes charge of related long-term planning, per Mostyn. In this case, that plan involves realigning the north end of Robert Service Way by moving the road away from the foot of the escarpment.
The Yukon government provided $2 million following the 2022 slides and has approached the federal government to recover that money, according to Mostyn. In 2023, the territorial government helped the city pull together and submit for federal disaster-related funding plan for the south access route to mitigate disasters in the future.
“That’s where we’re at now, and they’ve submitted that plan, and we have not yet heard what the federal government is going to do with that,” Mostyn said.
Mostyn declined to break confidentiality about what will be included in the territorial budget set to drop next week, but noted the Yukon government has been budgeting for emergencies in previous years, for example, by launching a $50-million emergency contingency fund to go toward relief from fires, floods or washouts in the 2023-24 budget.
“The territorial government stands to assist the city with any help the city may need, as the city manages crises and incidents like this that happened within its boundaries, but the city is the government that is responsible for those emergencies within its boundaries,” he said.
Contact Dana Hatherly at dana.hatherly@yukon-news.com