HomeMy WebLinkAboutEnv Agenda - 2020-10-15
Environmental Committee
Agenda
Thursday, October 15, 2020
Office of the City Clerk
4:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Kitchener City Hall
nd
Electronic Meeting
200 King St.W. - 2 Floor
Kitchener ON N2G 4G7
Page 1 Chair Justin Gaudon Vice-Chair Cynthia Gaetani
Due to COVID-19 and recommendations by Waterloo Region Public Health to exercise physical
distancing, City Hall is closed to the public. Members of public are invited to view this meeting
electronically by contacting the Committee Administrator.
While in-person delegation requests are not feasible at this time, written comments may be submitted,
and electronic participation can be facilitated by contacting Cody Boomer at Cody.Boomer@Kitchener.ca.
Delegates must register by 4:00p.m. on the business day prior to the meeting in order to participate
electronically. Written comments will be circulated prior to the meeting and will form part of the public
record.
Delegations
Item 1 Mary Jane Patterson, Executive Director, Reep
Discussion Items
1. Reep 2020 Annual Report Presentation (25 min)
Materials will be circulated under separate cover.
2. Downtown Cycling Grid (25 min)
Darren Kropf, Active Transportation Planning Project Manager, Transportation Services
3. (40 min)
David Schmitt, Environmental & Urban Forest Project Manager, Parks & Cemeteries
Information Items
None
Cody Boomer
Committee Administrator
** Accessible formats and communication supports are available upon request. If you require assistance to
take part in a city meeting or event, please call 519-741-2345 or TTY 1866-969-9994 **
Date:September 25, 2020
To:EnvironmentalCommittee
From:DarrenKropf, Active Transportation Project Manager
cc:
Subject:Downtown Cycling Grid
cycling network that connects adjacent neighbourhoods to the downtown. Following
consultation of more than 4,000 people, the grid is designed to target all ages and abilities of
connects to popular trails like the Spur Line Trail, Iron Horse Trail and the Great Trail,
providing a new, safe and convenient way for people on bikes to access all that downtown has
to offer. Cycling has been shown to generate economic activity for small businesses, can
assist with physical distancing for transportation needs during the pandemic and reduce
carbon emissions. City staff will share the design in a brief presentation and welcome your
feedback.
Thank you.
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Date:September 24, 2020
th
To:Environmental Committee re October 15, 2019 Meeting
From: David Schmitt, Environmental & Urban Forest Project Manager
cc: Niall Lobley, Director Parks & Cemeteries, INS
Subject: Kitchener’s Tree Canopy and the Setting ofa Tree Canopy Target
(An Introduction –Phase I)
Kitchener’s Strategic Plan (2019-2022) identifies the setting of a tree canopy target, which was first
identified in Kitchener’s Sustainable Urban Forest strategy (Action 13 - Set a tree canopy target and
develop a long-term plan ensuring a vibrant and resilient tree canopy for future generations).
This memo and the presentation (attached) at the City’s Environmental Committee and a future Council
meeting is intended to:
Provide an introduction to this project
Identify key findings from the 2019 canopy analysis at the Ward level
Show how Kitchener compares to other cities, and,
Seek input from the committee and council as the community engagement process to set a tree
canopy target begins.
Staff propose to include two community engagement phases after committee and Council:
Phase II (January/February 2021): will include a detailed technical background report on the
city’s tree canopy, factors that affect canopy gains and losses, and how the city proposes to set
a canopy target, along with an Engage survey allowing the community input on setting a target.
Phase III (Spring 2021): will include a draft final report that includes target recommendations for
public input, and Council consideration of the final report/recommendations.
A tree canopy target is the setting of a target (goal) to achieve and maintain a desired level of
tree cover, based on goals set for the entire municipality and each neighbourhood and/or
landuse. A key benefit of increasing a city’s tree canopy is the potential to significantly increase
the benefits that trees provide to the community (e.g. 10 ways trees help us).
Often the setting of a canopy target turns into a discussion of planting more trees. While an important
part, it is only one of the five required actions for communities to maintain and enhance their canopy.
With the priority being increasing the quality and longevity of the existing canopy first, with tree planting
seen as a long-term benefit.
Tree canopy, like all other faucets of a sustainable urban forest are built around Kitchener’s five
branches (see Figure 1, next page) of a sustainable urban forest;
1.Plan
2.Engage
3.Maintain
4.Protect, and,
5.Plant.
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Using the North American standard for tree canopy
assessment, a land cover map was developed identifying
the tree canopy, grass/shrubs, bare soil, water, buildings,
roads/railroads and other paved surfaces in the city. It was
created from the city’s extensive GIS data along with aerial
imagery, LiDAR (light detection and ranging data) from
2014 and 2019. This detailed mapping can identify the;
existing tree canopy, possible tree canopy, and canopy
change by identifying the gains and losses in canopy from
2014 to 2019. These terms are defined below.
Existing Tree Canopy is the layer of branches, leaves and
stems that cover the ground when viewed from above and
includes both public and private property.
Possible Tree Canopy is the grass and shrub areas in the
city that could be available for the establishment of tree
canopy. These include both public and private property.
Canopy Change is determined by the gain (e.g. growth of
existing trees, natural regeneration, tree planting) and loss
Figure 1 – The five branches of a
(e.g. natural mortality, invasive tree pests, extreme
sustainable urban forest.
weather/climate change, removal of living trees) in the city’s
tree canopy over a period of time.
In 2019, Kitchener had 27% tree canopy cover, that covered 3,615 hectares of land. At the City Ward
level percent canopy cover ranges from a high of 36% (Ward 4), to a low of 17% (Ward 5). Overall
there is an equal split of five wards having canopy cover greater than and less than 27%.
The change in canopy from 2014 to 2019 is another important metric, especially for communities
interested in maintaining or increasing their canopy cover. Across the city there was a 2% net gain in
tree canopy, which amounts to about 280 new hectares of tree canopy. All City Wards had a gain in
canopy cover ranging from 0.6% (Ward 5) to 3.2% (Ward 7).
It is noted that while this growth in canopy against a backdrop of the impacts of Emerald Ash Borer and
significant development is certainly to be celebrated, staff urge caution: the growth in canopy is driven
by existing maturing trees growing larger; it is highly likely that while canopy has grown, the number of
trees contributing to that canopy has decreased, therefore making the amount of canopy susceptible to
significant losses if larger, maturing trees that are driving current canopy levels are lost to development,
disease or age.
A comparison of Kitchener’s tree canopy is also made with six other municipalities that have urban
forest management plans in place, know their existing tree canopy and have set canopy cover targets.
Three of the cities are larger than Kitchener, while the other three are smaller, and three have identified
their canopy change over time.
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The information presented here is intended to only be an introduction to the city’s tree canopy and the
setting of a tree canopy target. The next phase of work, includes; 1) the development of a detailed
technical background report that will present the full set of metrics, 2) the challenges and opportunities
of setting a target, and 3) the framework staff propose to use to set the target and implement a plan to
monitor and achieve the target. Building on this background information an Engage survey will be used
to hear from the community. From this point a draft report and recommendations will be prepared which
the community will also be given the opportunity to comment on.
The accompanying slides are a copy of the presentation that will be made to the committee. After the
presentation staff look forward to hearing from the committee and answering any questions you may
have.
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