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HomeMy WebLinkAboutINS-2022-002 - Tree Canopy Target for Kitcheneri Staff Report �T R Infrastructure Services Denartr7ent www. kitchener. ca REPORT TO: Planning and Strategic Initiatives Committee DATE OF MEETING: January 10, 2022 SUBMITTED BY: Niall Lobley, Director, Parks & Cemeteries 519-741-2600 ext. 4518 PREPARED BY: Josh Shea, Manager, Natural Areas Management, 519-741-2600 ext. WARD(S) INVOLVED: ALL DATE OF REPORT: December 15, 2021 REPORT NO.: INS -2022-002 SUBJECT: Tree Canopy Target for Kitchener RECOMMENDATION: That a tree canopy target of 30 per cent by 2050 be established for each of the 10 Wards in the City of Kitchener together with an overall City-wide canopy target of 33 per cent% by 2070, and, That staff be directed to develop ward (and where appropriate, neighbourhood), specific action plans that focus on planting, maintaining and protecting trees in consideration of local pressures on canopy and, That these action plans inform future budget requests beginning in 2022 for the 2023 financial year and, That staff be directed to initiate a review of existing tree protective processes in the City, including a review of existing protection bylaws and policies, and requirements for tree planting contained within the Development Manual, and report back to Council with preliminary findings by the end of 2022, and, That staff report back in 2025 and on five -yearly intervals thereafter, with an update on Kitchener's Urban Forest Canopy REPORT HIGHLIGHTS: • The report provides a policy framework for implementing ward and city-wide urban canopy targets that focus on planting and maintenance and continued support of Kitchener's forestry programs and outlines action items across the City of Kitchener • The development of the Tree Canopy Cover Target supports the theme of Environmental Leadership within the City of Kitchener Strategic Plan 2019 — 2022. Specifically, it delivers on a commitment to "Implement the Sustainable Urban Forest Strategy with a focus on establishing a tree canopy target" • Financial impacts will be defined through implementation plans and identified through future reporting and budget processes. *** This information is available in accessible formats upon request. *** Please call 519-741-2345 or TTY 1-866-969-9994 for assistance. • Development of a Sustainable Urban Forest Strategy and the Tree Canopy Target has been informed by more than 2,500 community members. More than 2,000 community members participated in in person and online engagements leading to the development of the SUFS and more than 600 people have shared thoughts on how a tree canopy target can be achieved BACKGROUND: The City of Kitchener adopted the Sustainable Urban Forest Strategy (SUFS), in 2019 which articulated and affirmed the City's commitment to supporting the multiple benefits of a diverse, well maintained and sustainably managed urban forest to community and residents in the City. The SUFS responded to Council priorities under the strategic theme of Environmental Leadership and helped to provide direction to investments into the urban forest in 2019, 2020 and 2021. Notable among these: • Council supported establishing a pilot partnership with REEP Green Solutions that has enabled the appropriate planting of many 100's of trees across the City on private property with support provided for species selection, site location and maintenance. • 1000's of residents have been supported in education and stewardship activities since 2019 that have provided advice, information and education on stewardship for trees on private property • Investments into operating budget have supported the development and implementation of a street tree raising program that, by the end of 2021 will have seen proactive maintenance undertaken on almost 60 streets where street raising work was of highest need • In 2021, street tree structural pruning was undertaken on several streets to promote healthy and vigorous growth of younger trees • The backlog of trees left unreplaced on City streets and boulevards by the impacts of Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) at the end of the EAB program in 2018 has been eliminated, and we have a sustained replacement for trees removed on City streets of between two and three years • Staff have submitted a Request for Information in response to a call from the Federal Government in respect to the Billion Tree Program which could further build and enhance City tree planting program In addition Council has invested in 2022 in implementing the SUFS by: • Responding to the pilot private tree planting and stewardship program by implementing this for ten years and doubling funding toward the enhancement, growth and maintenance of the private tree canopy • Providing initial funding to support the replacement of lost trees in public parks and open spaces • Providing sustained funding for future canopy assessments to track canopy changes over time The SUFS articulated the importance of the need to Plan first and Engage widely in its Five Branches of activity'. Developing a clear direction urban forest management activities through developing a tree canopy goal is driven by the need to ensure that action is informed by planning ' Pages 13-15 Kitchener's Sustainable Urban Forest Strategy and engagement. These early activities have provided significant benefit to the urban canopy; through adopting a target, staff will be able to bring forward a comprehensive strategy to address that target. REPORT: The development of Kitchener's tree canopy target is driven by seeking to provide greater equity in canopy, and targeting improvements to canopy ensuring actions that address local pressures are implemented. It is considered likely that over the next 50 years, the City will experience fluctuations, including reductions, in overall canopy cover as the effects of aging trees, climate change and the need to accommodate more of the City's growth in already developed areas to meet provincially mandated growth targets, impact the existing canopy. It is unlikely that a sustained, straight line growth in canopy can be achieved and that there will be fluctuations in canopy over coming decades; however, staff hope that with targeted approach specific to the needs of each community across the City, local enhancements can be made as well as an overall growth on canopy over the 50 year horizon. The development of, and implementation of actions towards meeting a tree canopy target contributes toward equity by seeking to address environmental inequities across communities in Kitchener, and climate and sustainability objectives, such as helping to mitigate and manage the impacts of climate change. Likewise, the development of the target helps affirm Kitchener's commitment to action under the declaration of a Climate Emergency. Canopy cover varies dramatically across the City with the least well served communities seeing less than 12% canopy, and the best served neighbourhoods seeing more than 40% canopy. It is clear from studies across the globe, and by looking at least and best served neighbourhoods, that areas with lowest canopy often correlate strongly with rental and apartment style buildings, less access to greenspace and higher populations of equity deserving communities; communities that often see the greatest societal value of enhanced canopy. Action on tree canopy is proposed across all areas of the City; aligned with feedback from community engagement and an increasing recognition of the potential that canopy has to help toward addressing equity issues, this will be targeted by seeking to ensure all wards have 30% canopy by 2050. In some neighbourhoods, this work will be extensive and will see a trebling of canopy over the next 30 years; in other wards, work will be just as challenging as the pressure of growing or maintaining existing canopy against a backdrop of aging trees and development will be equally challenging. Cities across southern Ontario have over the past decade, established long term goals for tree canopy in urban areas. Oakville, Toronto and London have established targets between 30% and 40% over 50 year timelines, whereas cities like Cambridge have established lower targets over shorter, 20 year timeframes. Other cities such as Guelph and Hamilton have established targets, but without timeframes associated to theme. 50 years may seem like a significant timeline for improvements; trees planted today will only start to have a significant bearing on ' Page 15 - Kitchener Urban Forest Canopy Technical Report canopy in 50 years and so actions today will really become reflected in the canopy present in 50 years time. Kitchener fairs well for existing urban canopy, having seen this increase in recent years to 27%. However, staff recognize that this canopy is heavily reliant on existing, mature trees. In many areas of the City, these trees are in less -than -optimal condition and health and in other areas planned growth over coming decades, may result in some tree loss. The City is rapidly changing and, alongside other communities, is facing the pressure of a changing climate, which, while perhaps favouring some species, is negatively impacting existing species across the City. More than 50% of the existing tree canopy is on private property and community partnership in delivering on both ward and neighbourhood level objectives will be essential in achieving both local community increases in canopy and in sustaining and growing canopy across the City as a whole. Given the extensive differences across the City, any one action alone will not be sufficient to address a the cornerstone of a sustainable and resilient urban forest, canopy target and staff plan to implement actions to meet a canopy target that include: M Planting correctly and deliberately — selecting the right trees for the right locations with a focus on native species that will add value to future canopy Protecting prudently — seek to building on existing policies and protection for trees where appropriate Maintaining proactively — ensure that trees are maintained from planting throughout their lives to offer maximum opportunity to support mature trees that provide highest benefit. A balanced approach of actions that address both short-term demand and pressures on canopy, and actions that support long term, sustainable change are required. Actions are required that are implemented to, and impact on, both publicly owned property and privately owned property. Across the City, some neighbourhoods may see a focus on tree planting, others will see greatest value from protection, and in many, deliberative maintenance programs to sustain growing trees to maturity will be required. Reflecting on the needs above and the dramatic differences in existing canopy will require a considered approach to management. Based on the direction received by Council through this report, staff will develop a comprehensive implementation strategy that will include a future capital and operating budget requests. Private property tree management tools Staff are aware that there is high public interest in tree protection driven by development applications where trees have been or are proposed to be removed. This has led to a heightened call for `a tree bylaw'. Despite a high public awareness of this issue, feedback from the recently concluded engagement on tree canopy does not see bylaws as the highest priority, with a focus on tree planting (public and private) and tree care and maintenance being higher priorities. This reflects feedback received during engagement on the Sustainable Urban Forest Strategy as well. Kitchener currently has the following tools which are used to manage trees on private property: - Tree Conservation Bylaw — requires a permit to be issued for tree removal on properties that are greater than 1 acre in size for trees that are greater than 10 centimeters in depth at breast height (DBH) - Tree Management Policy — applies where a development is proposed that requires a Planning Act application (e.g. subdivision, Official Plan and Zoning Bylaw amendments, site plans, and committee of adjustment applications). As part of these applications, studies will be used to evaluate trees great than 10 centimeters DBH to identify which are appropriate for removal and which are required to be retained and protected through construction and beyond - Kitchener's natural heritage system — Kitchener's Official Plan includes policies, land use and mapping that identify its natural heritage system. Kitchener's natural heritage system includes, among other things, regionally significant and locally significant woodlands. These woodlands are identified in the Official Plan as areas where development is not appropriate. The Official Plan natural heritage system land use is currently being implemented in its new Zoning Bylaw through the application of a natural heritage conservation zone. The purpose of this zone is to protect and conserve these identified woodlands on private and public property in the future. Staff are recommending a review of the existing bylaw protection and other protective measures through the balance of 2022. While the scope of this work has yet to be determined, it is important to understand at the outset that should the scope of protective/management tools on private properties be increased this may have a permitting, review, approval and enforcement impact to it which may be unreflective of the overall impact to tree canopy (i.e. a disproportionate effort/staff time may be required to protect a relatively small percentage of the overall canopy). Staff will seek to understand better the amount of currently `unprotected' canopy as part of this review. STRATEGIC PLAN ALIGNMENT: The development of the Tree Canopy Cover Target supports the theme of Environmental Leadership within the City of Kitchener Strategic Plan 2019 — 2022. Specifically, it delivers on a commitment to: Implement the Sustainable Urban Forest Strategy with a focus on establishing a tree canopy target FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS: There are no financial implications at this time. Short term priorities of the SUFS which will help support a tree canopy target have been implemented in budgets in 2020, 2021 and 2022. On the basis of the target adopted, staff will develop a comprehensive implementation plan that will inform future budget cycles beginning in 2023. COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: Development of a Sustainable Urban Forest Strategy and the Tree Canopy Target has been informed by more than 2,500 community members. More than 2,000 community members participated in in person and online engagements leading to the development of the SUFS and more than 600 people have shared thoughts on how a tree canopy target can be achieved. Through community engagement, staff have adopted a broad approach to the management of the urban forest through: Planning First, Engaging Widely and then implementing actions that include Planting Deliberately, Protecting Prudently and Maintaining trees through establishment, adolescent and into maturity. These actions were informed by, and confirmed through, public engagement and consultation. Over the course of October and November, 2021, staff sought to better understand feedback from the community on actions that they would like to see the City undertake in respect to trees to inform the development of a target. This engagement included seeking feedback from members of Council, which is included in the summary below. Key highlights of this engagement are: • Almost 80% of respondents favour a balanced approach to urban tree management that incorporates both short term measures and long term sustained approaches • Two thirds of respondents support activities in all areas of the City with a third of respondents seeking to target activity only to lower cover wards • More than 85% of respondents favour an approach that includes support for stewardship and planting on private property, with 61% preferring that this be resident led with City support On the basis of engagement, community has indicated that the top three things that can be done to support private tree planting and maintenance are: 1. Technical support, 2. Financial support and, 3. Education, with information on the right type of tree and how to maintain being cited as the number one incentive to help plant a tree on private property. 245 comments were received as part of the survey response that provided further insight into community feelings. • 72 comments related specifically to the need to plant trees within existing public properties • 39 comments related specifically to the need to maintain trees on public property • 39 comments related to the need to protect trees either through protective bylaws for private trees or public trees, or to protect through development work, retaining healthy trees alongside development, or through compelling developers to plant trees • 36 comments related to private tree planting, education, stewardship and awareness, subsidizing trees planting and including schools in tree planting • 57 comments fell into a number of other areas including: o Planting native species, managing invasive species o Planting fruit trees o Proposing that less trees are planted and advocating for tree removals along streets o Asking that trees not be planted where there are overhead wires or lights o Avoid planting tree to avoid leaves in fall o Advocating against any municipal lead work on private property for example tree planting subsidy or private tree protection o Financial support for residents in managing and removing large trees on private property Many comments in this category were supportive of the SUFS and ongoing dedication toward maintaining urban tree canopy In addition to the feedback on Engage Kitchener, Building Parks Together, an equity focussed volunteer group, that seeks to share feedback on Parks and Open Space matters, were asked in a forum setting to share ideas. Through this forum, the following themes emerged as priorities: • Overall concern for maintaining canopy cover in the City, particularly in areas of established canopy which may be subject to future intensification • The need to increase tree stewardship and care led by the City on existing publicly owned trees to care for what we have first and foremost, and to provide access to resources and education to encourage community to do likewise on privately owned trees. The City should show leadership in maintaining existing trees. • Capitalize on enthusiasm of young people to be active in climate and forestry programs — the City could facilitate youth led programs to support urban forestry and climate change programs in the City; o Partnerships between school board and City to encourage tree education and stewardship by students o Explore establishing youth led urban forest programs o Explore potential for a tree ambassador program to support neighbourhood trees • Appreciate that not everyone loves trees • Engage community through outreach and engagement activities; support National Tree Week, provide information at community events and festivals on trees and tree management, work with schools • Protect trees — ensure trees are protected as development and construction occurs, implement bylaws to manage tree removal especially of larger healthy trees, but recognize that protecting trees through bylaw will result in neighbour disputes and that bylaws are limited by the ability to monitor and enforce compliance. Staff shared draft recommendations and details of the proposed Tree Canopy Target with the Environment Committee at their meeting on November 18 2021. Environment Committee was supportive of both the approach taken in developing a target and the nature of the recommendations that have been suggested. Environment Committee endorsed the recommendations included within this report. Staff believe that the proposed Tree Canopy Target and Recommendations of this report reflect the sentiments expressed by community through engagement. Staff will consider comments received as they move toward developing approaches to deliver on a tree canopy target over coming months. INFORM — This report has been posted to the City's website with the agenda in advance of the council / committee meeting. PREVIOUS REPORTS/AUTHORITIES: INS -10-008 — Sustainable Urban Forest Strategy INS -20-018 — Setting an Urban Forest Canopy Cover Target APPROVED BY: Denise McGoldrick, General Manager, Infrastructure Services ATTACHMENTS: Attachment A - Kitchener's Sustainable Urban Forest Strategy Attachment B - Tree Canopy Background Information Attachment C - Tree Canopy Technical Report Sustainable Urban Forest Strategy 2019-2028 This document presents Kitchener's first long- term strategy for its urban forest, an asset valued by its residents, which also provides important economic, environmental and social benefits to the community. Table of Contents 4 Introduction 5 What is the urban forest? 6 How is the urban forest important to our community? 6 10 ways trees help us 8 What exactly is a sustainable urban forest program? 10 Kitchener's 2017 sustainable urban forest report card - How we are doing today? 11 Community engagement —what we heard 1 l 4 M 1 r 13 Kitchener's Sustainable Urban Forest Strategy 14 Vision, goal and five branches of a sustainable urban forest 16 PLAN first: the cornerstone of a sustainable and resilient urban forest 18 ENGAGE often and widely: building critical community support, collaboration and stewardship 20 MAINTAIN proactively: increasing health, longevity and resiliency 22 PROTECT prudently: maintaining and maximizing what we already have 24 PLANT correctly and deliberately: ensuring future generations have a vibrant and resilient tree canopy 26 Moving Forward Introduction Iis hard to imagine a vibrant, caring and innovative city without picturing trees. Trees are a key element of the living city, whether they play a role in filtering the air, enhancing public spaces, providing shade on a sunny day, or creating habitat for birds and other creatures. While we are fortunate to have 26 per cent tree canopy across the city today, we often take this living asset for granted, assuming it will always be here. If our city did not have trees, we know that our health, community wellbeing, property values, air and water quality, biodiversity and wildlife would be harmed, and our city would not be as resilient to a changing climate. This strategy, a first for Kitchener, intends to set us on the right track so that current and future citizens will continue to benefit from the urban forest, a key part of the city's green infrastructure. This strategy provides our vision for a sustainable urban forest as well as a framework (Plan, Engage, Protect, Maintain, Plant) for what actions we would need to take to achieve this. Kitchener's 2015-2018 Strategic Plan directed the development of this strategy to "manage and enhance the urban forest so that it will continue to make a long-term contribution to the livability of Kitchener." This work builds on the Background Document — Developing a Sustainable Urban Forest Program (March 17, 2017); Kitchener's 2017 Sustainable Urban Forest Report Card; extensive community engagement during 2017, and a detailed assessment of the current state of our urban forest and the ability of our current programs/ practices to achieve the urban forest visions identified by the community. Using the principles of a sustainable urban forest program and the results of the community engagement processes, this strategy presents: • our vision for a sustainable urban forest, • our goal, • the five branches of a sustainable urban forest, and • fifteen actions that the city and community can work collaboratively on to move towards a sustainable urban forest. Kitchener's Strategic Plan (2015-2018) Urban Forest Strategy Corporate Project SE06 What is the urban forest? People often think forests are only found outside the city; however, they also occur in cities. The urban forest consists of all of the trees growing on public and private lands, including trees in the downtown, old and new neighbourhoods, commercial and institutional lands, city parks, and natural areas. When viewed from above, Older Neighbourhoods Downtown & Commercial Private Property Lands Kitchener's urban forest covers about 26 per cent of the city's land base. While trees are the most visible part of the urban forest, it also includes the soil required to support and grow trees, and all of the associated biodiversity (e.g. insects, birds, animals, plants) that trees support and to which they are connected. City Lands Introduction The Province of Ontario recognizes trees as green infrastructure. Consequently, the urban forest is a dominant part of the city's green infrastructure, providing valuable ecological and hydrological functions and processes to the community. Wildlife Green Biodiversity Intrastructure & Stormwater Natural Areas New Neighbourhoods Figure 2 - The Urban Forest - a collection of trees and its associated parts Sustainable Urban Forest Strategy 2019-2028 5 Introduction How is the urban forest important to our community? Residents have told us, during this and other community engagements (e.g. Love My Hood, City Strategic Plan), they think trees in the city are important. In addition to trees being important, residents often associated trees directly to the benefits they provide (e.g. shade, biodiversity, air quality). The body of scientific work on the economic, environmental and social benefits of trees continues to grow, and is widely recognized. Today, there is growing recognition of the vital role trees play in terms of public health (e.g. air quality, heat island effect), community well-being (e.g. stress reduction, crime prevention) and a healthy environment (e.g. carbon sequestration, green infrastructure). As part of this project, to increase Figure 3 - 10 ways trees help us community awareness on all of the ways trees make our city better, we promoted the "10 ways trees help us" (see Figure 3). 6 City of Kitchener -- - 1 2 4 Air Quality Biodiversity Climate Change Community Trees improve air & Wildlife Urban trees and Wellbeing quality by removing The urban forest, the associated Views of trees and pollutants (ozone) plays a vital role soil directly store being in nature reduces and lowering in conserving carbon, and play an mental distress, temperatures. biodiversity and important role in increases happiness providing habitat mitigating and improves for wildlife. the effects of neighbourhood safety. climate change. As part of this project, to increase Figure 3 - 10 ways trees help us community awareness on all of the ways trees make our city better, we promoted the "10 ways trees help us" (see Figure 3). 6 City of Kitchener Introduction 56 78 9 4610 Ito ,,, a ,,, pama , , , . @d , Cooling the Air Food & Wood Public Health Real Estate Soil Quality Stormwater By releasing With the growing The presence of Large trees can Trees play an Trees slow, moisture interest in local trees and natural increase property important role intercept and (transpiration) and sources and areas increases values by up to in improving the retain rainfall, providing shade, sustainability trees physical activity, 15per cent and the biological and improve water trees cool the city in cities can be along with increasing presence of healthy physical qualities of quality and reducing the urban sources of food (e.g. the health and well- trees increases soil, and reducing reduce the heat island. fruit forests) and being of children. the value of soil erosion. need for costly wood products. commercial areas. infrastructure. What do you like about Kitchener's urban forest? "For me, trees provide needed shade in public spaces:" Sustainable Urban Forest Strategy 2019-2028 7 Introduction What exactly is a sustainable urban forest program? A sustainable urban forest program is one that: the community can afford now, and in the future; ., N• maximizes the benefits of X, rn the urban forest; , minimizes the associated risks and costs, and has a supportive and active community. There is often the misconception that, to maximize benefits, communities should focus on planting more trees. Though a key part of a sustainable program, tree planting alone does not ensure a sustainable urban forest and can actually increase long-term costs and risks when not planned nor maintained. In contrast to traditional assets (e.g. roads, buildings), trees provide their greatest value during their latter life stages (semi -mature, mature). Recognizing this, a key objective of a sustainable program is to maintain optimal tree health and longevity to maximize these benefits (see Figure 4). This starts by: focusing on planting trees that have long lifespans (40, 60, 80, 100 plus years); planting them correctly; ensuring there is the required soil quality/quantity; providing the necessary establishment care (e.g. watering); ensuring the tree and soil habitat are protected, and carrying out the essential proactive maintenance (e.g. structural pruning). 8 City of Kitchener Benefits, cost and life stages of a large stature tree Costs Benefits 1 1 201 1 i i + Juvenile 4— Serni-Mature ,Establishment (0-2 years) lcF7 Figure 4 - shows the benefits, costs and life stages of a large stature tree with a lifespan of 100 years, which is tart of lifecycle a common occurrence in older areas of the city and in natural areas. The highest costs occur at planting and tree removal. Benefits directly relate to tree size. Trees 4 Mature i . Senescent --o► Dead � (ISI Decline) start providing returns once they reach 40 years, with the greatest benefits provided when they are in this mature life stage, a life stage that can continue for many years, if the tree is protected and maintained. Stump i End of lifecycle Introduction Implementing a sustainable urban forest program will require new investments; however, research shows the returns on such investments can be significant. Conversely, not investing in the urban forest considerably reduces the potential benefits (e.g. property values, air quality, shade, energy savings) to the community, while increasing long- term costs/risks (e.g. increased tree failure during storms/extreme weather). Recognizing that most of the urban forest is on private lands, an engaged community is a key part of a sustainable urban forest program. A shared corporate asset and vision Trees can be found growing on all city lands including streets, parks, lane ways, cemeteries, golf courses, creeks, storm water ponds, city facilities, etc. While different divisions at the City of Kitchener are responsible for managing these lands, this urban forest strategy will be a collaborative effort across all divisions, providing one vision and one approach for how trees on city lands are planned, protected, maintained and planted. This collaborative approach will also be applied to how we engage and inform our customers ensuring a clear and consistent message. Sustainable Urban Forest Strategy 2019-2028 9 Kitchener"s 2017 sustainable urban forest report card How we are doing today One of the first steps in developing a sustainable urban forest strategy is to determine the state of the existing program. Since 1997, municipalities in Ontario (e.g. Cambridge, London, Oakville, and Ottawa), Canada and the United States have been using an evolving urban forest sustainability model to identify existing strengths and weaknesses. Using this industry -accepted tool, which standardizes the evaluation of current and future programs, staff assessed the existing program and created Kitchener's first Sustainable Urban Forest Report Card. Going forward, this report card allows the city to: 10 City of Kitchener • establish a baseline position of where we are today; • identify the key components of a sustainable program and existing gaps; • identify priority actions and initiatives; • replicate the report card in the future to measure performance\achievements, and • compare the city's program to other cities. Not surprisingly, with no sustainable urban forestry strategy plan in place, the overall rating for Kitchener's existing reactive program is low to fair. FPR 60% You can view the full report card and the result of all 28 targets on the city's website at www.kitchener.ca/trees. Community Engagement — What We Heard Akey part of this project included an extensive community engagement process occurring during the summer and fall of 2017. During that time, staff connected with more than 1,800 people by attending or hosting: • special events (e.g. Cherry Park Festival); • neighborhood association meetings; • city facilities (e.g. Kitchener Market); • two online surveys, and VZO • citizen committees; • two public workshops at Forest Heights • public tree walks (Mansion Greens Community Centre and Victoria Park Forest Garden) and talks (Kitchener Pavilion. Public Library); Interviews with the mayor and councillors • non-profit group meetings (e.g. REEP); identified their own concerns and those • community centre displays; expressed by the community. In 10 years, what kind of partnerships do you see? "I think the city should work with residents and nonprofit organizations to educate and run incentive programs to build community engagement and encourage contributions to the city's urban forest." Community Engagement — What We Heard 0 Recognize the value of our trees • Strong awareness of the value and benefits trees provide. © Sustain our existing urban forest • Address service levels and reduce customer complaints (e.g. low tree limbs over sidewalks/roads); • Need for active management (e.g. controlling invasive species); • Protect trees during and after development. 0 Grow the urban forest • Address the length of time it takes to replace a tree once removed; • Provide incentive programs to plant trees on private property; • Plant trees for shade, fruit, wildlife and biodiversity. OCommunicate and provide information • Improve communication and information to residents; • Provide information about how to plant and care for trees. 0 Involve neighbourhoods • Include residents in decisions and the process; • Focus and create opportunities in neighbourhoods and pa rks; • Recognize city/ community must work together for a sustainable urban forest. Kitchener's Sustainable Urban Forest Strategy Kitchener's first Urban Forest Strategy is the first step in developing a sustainable, proactive and collaborative program for public and private lands. After an extensive review and community engagement process this strategy presents our vision for a sustainable urban forest, our goal, and the five branches of a sustainable urban forest that are intended to guide future decisions and the setting of priorities. It's a big -picture, long-term focus that identifies what is required to grow and maintain big, healthy trees the trees that provide the greatest benefits to the community. Our vision for a sustainable urban forest Kitchener's urban forest will be healthy and resilient, benefiting its residents and the environment, today and into the future. Our goal Maximize the economic, environmental and social benefits of the urban forest while minimizing the associated costs and risks. Plan first, the cornerstone of a sustainable and resilient urban forest. Protect prudently, to maintain and maximize what we already have. Maintain proactively, to increase health, longevity and resiliency. Plant correctly & deliberately, ensuring future generations a vibrant tree canopy. The five branches (Plan, Engage, Maintain, Protect and Plant) of a sustainable urban forest are the backbone of the new program. Their order is intentional based on what is required to manage the asset, best practices, and the life stages of a tree. Using this framework, information from the community engagement process and the sustainable urban forest report card, 15 actions are identified (Table 2, next page) to move Kitchener towards a sustainable urban forest program. The pages following the table provide more detail about each branch and the identified actions. Kitchener's Sustainable Urban Forest Strategy Vision, goal and five branches of a sustainable urban forest Engage g g Plan first, the cornerstone of a sustainable Engage often & widely, building critical and resilient urban forest. support, collaboration and stewardship. Plan for a sustainable urban forest by Increase community awareness and setting, supporting, developing and stewardship building community monitoring identified priorities and support, participation and ownership. targets. Embrace Love My Hood helping Address key gaps required to reduce people to connect and work risk and support implementation of key together to do great things in their program components. neighourhood. Manage the urban forest on city lands as a corporate asset to develop defined service levels, optimize life cycle management plans and long-range funding requirements. Develop a sustainable natural area management plan for all city owned natural areas that strives to conserve their natural history and biodiversity, while minimizing the associated risks and costs. 14 City of Kitchener Increase communication and build collaboration with citizens, land owners, organizations, agencies, other cities and city departments. Maintain proactively, to increase health, longevity and resiliency. Improve customer service by providing better and timely information while always looking for ways to improve service. Create a proactive maintenance program for city trees to improve customer service, tree health, resiliency, and reduce costs / risks. Create an urban forest emergency response and recovery plan ensuring the city has the ability and resiliency to respond to a changing climate. In 25 years what do you want Kitchener's urban forest to look like? It a healthy legacy for generations to enjoy and care for." Table 2 —Actions identified to support developing a sustainable urban forest program Protect prudently, to maintain and maximize what we already have. Conserve and protect the urban forest prudently on public and private lands to maximize current and future benefits while minimizing costs and risks. Monitor and assess destructive tree pests and invasive species to protect the urban forest and conserve biodiversity. Plant correctly & deliberately, ensuring future generations a vibrant and resilient tree canopy. Set a tree canopy target and develop a long-term plan ensuring a vibrant and resilient tree canopy for future generations. Work with the community to develop a non-profit tree planting and stewardship program to maintain and/or increase the tree canopy on private and public lands. Develop a tree planting and soil management plan for city lands, planting trees sustainably with the focus on growing big, long living trees. © Emily S. Damstra Identifies actions that applies to trees growing on all city lands. Kitchener's Sustainable Urban Forest Strategy © Emily S. Damstra PLAN first, the cornerstone of a sustainable and resilient urban forest Planning is the cornerstone and first step to a sustainable urban forest that maximizes the benefits while minimizing the costs and risks, planning includes: • data collection and long-term planning; • asset management and operational plans; • program administration/structure; • risk/financial management; • monitoring and adaptive management. Objectives, priorities and service levels are achieved through a data -driven process that supports effective and efficient management, while balancing service -level expectations. When objectives are not being met, adaptive management is used to facilitate quick and responsible change. The planning branch has four actions identified for a sustainable urban forest. Plan for a sustainable urban forest by Continue to monitor and address key gaps setting, supporting, developing and required to support the development of monitoring identified priorities and a sustainable program and its identified targets. priorities. This action includes: monitoring and This action ensures the program is adaptive updating the strategy, developing and responsive with ongoing monitoring; multi-year implementation plans, and key gaps and new issues can be identified yearly operational plans; ensures the and addressed in a timely manner based program has the required capacity, on their importance. Current gaps include administration and organizational data collection, developing the required structure to support the approved plans and policies, risk, climate change, and program objectives and timelines; and council/community priorities. pursues public and private funding opportunities to support the program. 16 City of Kitchener Manage the urban forest on city lands as a corporate asset to develop defined service levels, optimize life cycle management plans and long-range funding requirements. Trees on city property are identified as one of the city's corporate assets. All corporate assets are required to develop an asset management plan. This action includes collecting and analyzing the required data to optimize the management of the asset, developing life cycle management plans, long range funding requirements, best practices, and defined levels of service. Customer service Each year staff receives about 1,500 services requests concerning city trees, mostly those in front of residential properties. The majority of these complaints are about low limbs blocking sidewalks/roads, requests for a new or replacement tree, and the length of time it takes to get work completed. Improving customer service and communication is a key outcome of this strategy. Develop a sustainable natural area management plan for all city owned natural areas that strives to conserve their natural history and biodiversity, while minimizing the assoc iated risks and costs. This action identifies the need to develop a city wide plan that identifies the core services and priorities for city natural areas. The plan will also address; natural area management, maintenance, inspections, risk management, stewardship, and education, in the context of asset management and the goals of this strategy. Kitchener's Sustainable Urban Forest Strategy ENGAGE often and widely: building critical community support, collaboration and stewardship Engaging the community often and widely is a vital part of a sustainable program; it recognizes that: • Residents have told us they want to be involved and provided with more information; • Most of the urban forest is on lands not owned by the city; • The biggest opportunity to increase the urban forest is on private lands; • The city cannot achieve a sustainable urban forest on its own, and • A sustainable urban forest can only be achieved with collaboration and stewardship. © Emily S. Damstra Kitchener's successful neighbourhood strategy initiative, Love My Hood, demonstrates that the community wants to be heard and involved in ways that go beyond traditional approaches. During the city's largest and most inclusive engagement initiative (Love My Hood), we heard that residents want to be involved in the urban forest and are ready to take action to support greening initiatives in the city and in their neighbourhoods. Through a resident -led, city -supported approach, there is a unique opportunity to build strong neighbourhood stewardship of the city's urban forest. For Kitchener to achieve a sustainable urban forest, it will require the support, energy and creativity of residents, staff and the community all working together. The engage branch has four actions identified for a sustainable urban forest. Increase community awareness and stewardship building community support, participation and ownership. To address the community desire for more information about the urban forest and how to care for it, this action will be achieved primary through developing and implementing a long term communication plan that promotes the benefits of the urban forest, provides information on the care of trees, the services the city provides, increasing community awareness, participation and stewardship. 18 City of Kitchener Embrace Love My Hood - helping people connect and work together to do great things in their neighbourhood. The engagement processes for both the Love My Hood strategy and the urban forest strategy revealed that residents want to be involved and have choices to support the urban forest, especially at the neighbourhood and park level. This action will facilitate and support opportunities for residents to plant and care for trees on private and public lands, and could include supporting incentive based tree planting programs on private lands, community driven and funded park tree planting along with tree watering and stewardship. .i. ;t tasrw - ' •. wL �� — a v top Increase Increase communication and build collaboration with citizens, land owners, organizations, agencies, other cities and city departments. Since most of the urban forest is on private lands, and recognizing the wide range of stakeholders that have a role to play, this action identifies the importance to collaborate and communicate with stakeholders (i.e. citizens, community groups, organizations, schools, agencies, businesses, etc.) seeking to build partnerships and synergies. The critical role of the private urban forest About 54per cent of the urban forest is found private lands. The greatest opportunities to increase the canopy is also on private lands, This strategy recognizes trees on private lands play a key role, and recommends a number of actions to plan, maintain, protect and plant the private urban forest. Engaging the community by increasing awareness, appreciation, support and stewardship are also important components. What could the city do to help support trees on private property? "Tree give-away days combined with public training sessions on where and how to plant them, how to care for them, and resources that are available to help maintain healthy trees." Sustainable Urban Forest Strategy 2019-2028 19 Kitchener's Sustainable Urban Forest Strategy © Emily S. Damstra MAINTAIN proactively: increasing health, longevity and resiliency Maintaining trees proactively increases their health, longevity and resiliency, and can significantly reduce customer complaints (e.g. low -hanging limbs, dead wood in trees). Proactive maintenance extends the lifespan of trees, which maximizes current and future benefits. Maintenance of individual trees (e.g. street, parks, cemeteries, golf courses) includes: pruning; tree removal; stump removal, and emergency tree response. Natural area maintenance activities include tree felling; trail closures; invasive species control; habitat restoration, and wildlife management. The overall objective is to move from a reactive program (driven by resident complaints) to a proactive program (driven by a priority -based, cyclical proactive maintenance program). Work is planned in advance and completed based on short and long-term priorities. While, over the long term, the number of customer complaints received each year will decline, responding to customer complaints will continue to be a priority. The initial focus of this new program will be to reduce risk; reduce resident complaints; address the existing backlog of work; ensure the city has the ability to respond to extreme weather events, and initiate a proactive structural pruning program. The maintain branch has three actions identified for a sustainable urban forest. Improve customer service by providing more information at the right time. During the community engagement process, one of the top messages was the need to provide better customer service. This action will address the inspection, scheduling and response times for complaints and requests, along with expanding and improving the information provided to residents. 20 City of Kitchener Create a proactive maintenance program for city trees to improve customer service, tree health, resiliency, and reduce costs / risks. Implementing a proactive, cyclical structural tree pruning program is one of the most important steps that can be taken to develop a sustainable program. In addition to reducing customer complaints (e.g. low tree limbs), it reduces long-term costs, increases resiliency to storms along with increasing tree longevity and health. While this type of program does provide important long-term benefits, significant resources are required to implement it. Create an urban forest emergency response and recovery plan ensuring the city has the ability and resiliency to respond to a changing climate. Recognizing the impact of past extreme weather events (for example the 2013 wind & ice storms) and the projection that these events will increase, developing an urban forest emergency response plan is an important action. This plan will ensure the city has the preparedness and resources to respond when required. When significant damage occurs a recovery plan for maintenance and planting is also required. Climate change and the urban forest Kitchener's urban forest is already changing and being affected by climate change. Future projections tell us that our local climate will continue to change with; extreme summer heat/droughts, more intense rain and storms, and warmer winters. As the climate continues to change, the impacts on the urban forest will become more pronounced, costly and challenging. However, at the same time we know that with better planning and maintenance we can increase the resiliency of the urban forest so that the benefits (e.g. public health, air quality, carbon storage, cooling the air, stormwater) of the urban forest that help to mitigate climate change will continue. Actions that need to be taken to address climate change and its impact on the urban forest include: • long-term planning that addresses and adapts to a changing climate; • proactive maintenance to build resiliency; • emergency tree response plans that ensure we are prepared and have the required resources when extreme weather strikes; • developing and implementing remediation plans to restore the urban forest after extreme weather; • planting trees that will continue to be healthy as the climate changes, along with focusing on planting big trees with the required soil to grow long living trees that will mitigate climate change. In 25 years, what do you want Kitchener's urban forest to look like? "... better maintenance of young trees so that they survive to maturity." L--3 Kitchener's Sustainable Urban Forest Strategy I PROTECT prudently: maintaining and maximizing what we already have a:. Protecting individual trees and the urban forest was a common theme heard during the community engagement - - process. Prudently protecting the urban forest to maintain and maximize what we already have is an ongoing process that needs to occur at all life stages of trees. It includes protecting the existing mature and semi -mature trees that currently provide benefits, while also ensuring that the city's young trees (e.g. future canopy) are healthy and have the ability to be long-lived. Protecting the urban forest includes; ,.,. •. • Protecting young trees from structural damage (e.g. lawn mower damage); _ • Protecting trees from development and other impacts (e.g. climate change); _ • Protecting the required soil habitat to grow big trees; • Monitoring and responding to destructive tree pests (e.g. emerald ash borer); © Emily S. Damstra • Protecting the city's natural areas from human impacts (e.g. encroachments), and • Developing and implementing best practices for a sustainable urban forest. The protect branch has two actions identified for a sustainable urban forest. Conserve and protect the urban forest prudently on public and private lands to maximize current and future benefits while minimizing costs and risks. The first action required to conserve and protect the urban forest is to increase community awareness on this issue through education. A review and potential update of existing bylaws and policies that protect city trees, their soil habitat natural areas, and private trees is required. Monitor and assess destructive tree pests and invasive species to protect the urban forest and conserve biodiversity. Destructive tree pests (e.g. emerald ash borer) and invasive species (e.g. buckthorn) can have a significant impact on the urban forest. The city continues to manage the impact of EAB with the focus recently being shifted to city natural areas and trails. Ongoing monitoring, adaptation and the setting of priorities is required to address the most damaging pests and species. In 25 years, what do you want Kitchener's urban forest to look like? "In 25 years, I hope that we have areas where urban forests are protected and thriving." 22 City of Kitchener ri r -• s _ h _ s i. - V7 Sustainable Urban Forest Strategy 2019-2028 23 • 9Y r Kitchener's Sustainable Urban Forest Strategy PLANT correctly and deliberately: ensuring future generations have a vibrant and resilient tree canopy Planting correctly and deliberately ensures that future generations will have a healthy, vibrant and resilient urban forest. Historically, tree planting was relatively easy; trees were harvested from local natural areas, planted in soils that were relatively undisturbed, and there was adequate rainfall. Today, trees are often planted in heavily disturbed soils, resulting in poor health/stunted growth. Poor -quality nursery stock and a changing climate (e.g. increased droughts) further add to the challenges. Tree planting is a long-term investment (40+ years). To ensure it is sustainable and provides the desired long-term benefits, six key issues need to be addressed, including: © Emily S. Damstra • planning first; • ensuring the required soil (quantity and quality) is available; • obtaining quality planting stock; • planting the tree correctly; • providing the required aftercare (e.g. tree watering, pruning), and • providing the required information to support effective community stewardship. The plant branch has three actions identified for a sustainable urban forest. Set a tree canopy target and develop a long-term plan ensuring Work with the community to develop a non-profit tree planting and a vibrant and resilient tree canopy for future generations. stewardship program to maintain and/or increase the tree canopy on Setting a canopy cover target is an important step in moving private and public lands. towards a sustainable urban forest. With 26 per cent existing Developing a community tree -planting and stewardship program is a canopy, the community has the choice to set a goal to maintain key ingredient of a sustainable urban forest program. Many cities have or increase the existing canopy. Before a specific target is set, succeeded in this area by establishing a non-profit organization (e.g. additional work is required to identify realistic options and the level London, Oakville, Toronto, Mississauga, LEAF). Building on the work of effort and cost required, and set targets for neighbourhoods. already done through this strategy, the city will continue to explore and develop this action through ongoing community collaboration. 24 City of Kitchener In 25 years, what do you want Kitchener's urban forest to look like? "I want to see areas that are designated for urban forest planting, hopefully to bring the canopy to 28 or 30%. 1 want to see the city maintain urban forests. No trees means no clean air." Develop a tree planting and soil management plan for city lands, planting trees sustainably with the focus on growing big, long living trees. Ensuring that the trees planted on city lands will be healthy, reach their mature size and have a long life requires thoughtful planning based on best practices. The tree planting and soil management plan will set minimum standards (e.g. species diversity, soil volumes) and practices (e.g. soil management and restoration) for all planting locations on city lands. In the shorter term, there is also the need to address the large backlog of tree planting required to address all of the ash trees removed due to emerald ash borer. Sustainable Urban Forest Strategy 2019-2028 25 V 26 City of Kitchener Moving Forward Warren Buffett once said, "Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago." But it is not just the planting that brings the benefits trees provide to the community. It is a sustained effort by the city, the community and partners. This strategy takes the first step towards building a healthy and resilient urban forest, one that brings benefits to the community and the environment not just for now, but for the future. 0 • -^k o�p. '— This strategy is printed on 100% recycled paper certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). N A K I T C H E N E R Tree Canopy Target: Background Information The tree canopy is the layer of branches, leaves, and stems that cover the ground when viewed from above. We are considering setting a target for the tree canopy in Kitchener. The direction to set a target comes from Kitchener's Strategic Plan (2019-2022) and the Sustainable Urban Forest Strategy (2019-2028). Trees in Kitchener provide immense social, economic and environmental benefit to our community! But to provide these benefits over time they need care, maintenance and a significant amount of investment. When we think about the tree canopy and setting a target for how much coverage we can achieve, it is important to consider many factors: • Tree Growth — the yearly growth (roots, trunk, branches, leaves) of all established trees • Natural Regeneration — trees that have self -propagated naturally (e.g., seeds, roots). • Tree Planting — trees that have been planted intentionally by people. • Tree Mortality — trees that have died due to age, natural causes, tree pests, etc. • Tree Removal — the removal of living trees by humans before the end of their lifecycle. It's not as simple as just planting more trees. Setting a target must address local conditions and issues (development history, soil variability) and be scalable at the City, ward, and planning community levels. Urban forestry experts and industry best practice suggest all neighbourhoods aim to have at least 30% tree canopy. Every resident should be able to see at least three good sized trees from their own home. To achieve this type of target (i.e. 30%), efforts and investments must focus on specific actions in specific locations. The type of action might not be the same in all places. engagekitchener.ca OA eN A 4- K I T C H E N E R To be successful, we need to establish best practices, act on our policy, and involved the community throughout. Examples of specific efforts to improve the tree canopy: • Dedicated tree planting efforts in strategic places to add new trees. • Increasing levels of maintenance in targeted neighbourhoods to keep older trees alive longer. • Identifying locations where trees are in decline to implement removal and replacement programs to replace tree canopy before it is completely lost. • Specific neighbourhoods will require tree planting on private property where the ability to gain/grow tree canopy is highest (i.e. available planting space to add more trees). • Managing natural areas and woodlots will be needed in order to keep them healthy and can continue to contribute towards canopy targets. • Greater stewardship and proper care of private and public trees is a key focus in many areas. • Tree protection efforts will need to be increased on private and public lands to keep trees alive which will provide maximum benefit. For more detailed information please see Kitchener's Tree Canopy Technical Report. engagekitchener.ca I IF TECHNICAL REPORT • J U LY 2021 ,.,4Z �� ./�.. �r� f- !r �' 1 Sir � '��{• �. .. 41 rrr��A � .y l / V fi � S! �•_. ���� J�' 4« - � y } R-`5, .. �L � �+i �- ,��' . �4� ' _ \ - �i� • Yl a4�y7P,aT ry .w �./1 J � r�-J la ■ r 0. .n . • r . � a Parks & Cemeteries, Infrastructure Services 1 �rc�r�R Table of Contents 1. Introduction and Background ...................................................................................................... 5 l.lIntroduction ...................................................................................................................................... 5 1.2Direction toset atree canopy target ................................................................................................ 5 1.3Tree benefits and tree canopy .......................................................................................................... 5 2' A Tree Canopy /TC\Primer ........................................................................................................... 6 2.lKey terms .......................................................................................................................................... O 2.2The Five Factors that Affect Tree Canopy Change ............................................................................ 7 2.3TCChange Gains 8'Losses .............................................................................................................. 8 2.4The Importance ofBig Trees ............................................................................................................. 9 2.5Newly planted trees provide long-term benefits ............................................................................. 9 2.6Kitchene/sSustainable Urban Forest Strategy .............................................................................. 1O 3' Kitchemer'aTree Canopy /TC\-27.2Y6...................................................................................... 12 3.lComparing Kitchene/sTCtoother cities ....................................................................................... l2 32Tree Canopy (TC)Ownership .......................................................................................................... 1] 3.]TCatthe Ward and Planning Community Level ............................................................................. l4 4. Setting a Tree Canopy Target .................................................................................................... 15 4.1 Background — What the research says and TC targets other cities have set ................................. 15 42Projecting Kitchene/sTCforthenextfift»years-------------------------16 4.3Establishing the TCTarget Framework ........................................................................................... l7 4.4Actions that could support maintaining \ enhancing the city's TC ................................................. 18 5. City Ward Tree Canopy Summaries ........................................................................................... 19 List of Figures Figure 1 UN Sustainable Development Goals linked to urban forestry ..................................................... 5 Figure 2 - 10 ways trees help us.................................................................................................................. 5 Figure3 - Land Cover Mapping................................................................................................................... 6 Figure 4 - Existing Tree Canopy Mapping................................................................................................... 6 Figure 5 - Five factors that impact tree canopy change............................................................................. 7 Figure 6 - 2014 to 2019 Tree Canopy Change - Gains and Lossses............................................................ 8 Figure 7 - Tree Canopy Gains & Losses by Ward........................................................................................ 8 Figure 8 - Tree benefits and canopy size.................................................................................................... 9 Figure 9 - Tree planting a long-term benefit.............................................................................................. 9 Figure 10 - Five Branches of a Sustainable Urban Forest......................................................................... 10 Figure 11 - 2017 Report Card Rating......................................................................................................... 10 Figure 12 - TC change 2014 to 2019......................................................................................................... 12 Figure 13 - Kitchener's TC compared to other cities................................................................................ 12 Figure 14 - Existing % TC Ownership......................................................................................................... 13 Figure 15- Possible TC Ownership............................................................................................................ 13 Figure 16- Public Agency TC Ownership.................................................................................................. 13 Figure 17 - Existing TC by City Ward....................................................................................................... 14 Figure 18 - Existing / Possible Tree Canopy Metrics by Ward.................................................................. 14 Figure 19 - Actual & projected TC growth over fifty years....................................................................... 16 Figure 20 - TC of Planning Communities................................................................................................... 19 List of Tables Table 1 - Seven key targets for developing and maintaining TC targets .................................................. 10 Table 2 - TC targets set by other cities..................................................................................................... 15 Table 3 - Existing Percent TC for Ward by TC Ranges............................................................................... 17 Table 4 - Actions that could support maintaining and enhancing the city's TC ....................................... 18 Table 5 - Ward One Tree Canopy Summary............................................................................................. 20 Table 6 - Ward Two Tree Canopy Summary............................................................................................. 21 Table 7 - Ward Three Tree Canopy Summary........................................................................................... 22 Table 8 - Ward Four Tree Canopy Summary............................................................................................. 23 Table 9 - Ward Five Tree Canopy Summary.............................................................................................. 24 Table 10 - Ward Six Tree Canopy Summary.............................................................................................. 25 Table 11 - Ward Seven Tree Canopy Summary........................................................................................ 26 Table 12 - Ward Eight Tree Canopy Summary.......................................................................................... 27 Table 13 - Ward Nine Tree Canopy Summary........................................................................................... 28 Table 14 - Ward Ten Tree Canopy Summary............................................................................................ 29 1. Introduction and Background 1.1 Introduction This document introduces Kitchener's existing canopy and supporting information that is intended to help inform Council and the community in setting Kitchener's first tree canopy target. The report has five sections, that are: 1. Introduction and Background 2. A Tree Canopy Primer 3. Kitchener's Tree Canopy 4. Setting a Tree Canopy Target 5. City Ward Tree Canopy Summaries 1.2 Direction to set a tree canopy target. Direction to set a target comes from Kitchener's Strategic Plan (2019-2022), and the recently approved Sustainable Urban Forest Strategy (2019-2028). Linkages can also be made directly to the Corporate Climate Action Plan. Sustainability is an important theme in all these plans. The city's strategic plan is built around seventeen UN Sustainable Development Goals. The UN - Food and Agriculture Organization identify nine of these goals being directly related to urban forests. Figure 1 UN Sustainable Development Goals linked to urban forestry. 1.3 Tree benefits and tree canopy The economic, environmental, and social benefits trees was established in in Kitchener's first Sustainable Urban Forest Strategy and were communicated through the "10 ways trees help us". The benefits trees provide is directly related to the quantity and quality of a city's tree canopy. 10 ways trees help us biodiversity climate stormwater if quality soil quality real estate Public health caoling food&wood & wild ornate change the air comrnuing wellbeing Figure 2 - 10 ways trees help us 2. A Tree Canopy (TC) Primer This section introduces the key terms used in this report to describe tree canopy, and factors that affect the quality and quantity of TC. 2.1 Key terms Tree Canopy (TC) is the layer of branches, leaves, and stems that cover the ground when viewed from above. Also referred to as Existing Tree Canopy it is identified as the green areas in the Figure 4. Possible Vegetated TC — includes all the grass, shrub, and bare soil areas where trees could be planted. This includes all the city's greenspace areas, including many areas that would not be planted with trees because of their current use such as: flower/ food gardens, grassed areas, playfields, sports fields, golf courses, public spaces, and agricultural lands. Figure 3 - Land Cover Mapping Figure 3 shows a piece of the land cover mapping that was developed from the 2019 LiDAR imagery and city's GIS data. The land cover mapping identifies seven land covers ranging from tree canopy to the city's buildings and roads. Figure 3 and 4 shows the existing tree canopy in the downtown, Victoria Park area. -,�; -- _711, Figure 4 - Existing Tree Canopy Mapping 2.2 Five Factors that Affect Tree Canopy Change Maintaining and enhancing a communities TC involves much more than just planting more trees. There are five factors that affect TC change, which can result in a communities TC increasing or decreasing over time. While the focus and discussion are usually on increasing the city's TC through tree planting initiatives, many cities in North America are seeing a decline in their TC's, even after TC Targets have been set because all factors are not considered. The five factors that impact tree canopy change, are: 1. Twee Growth (TG) - the yearly growth (roots, trunk, branches, leaves) of all established trees 2. Natural Regeneration (NR) - trees that have self -propagated naturally (e.g., seeds, roots). 3. Tree Planting (TP) - trees that have been planted intentionally by people. 4. Twee Mortality (TM) - trees that have died due to age, natural causes, tree pests, etc. 5. Twee Removal (TR) - the removal of living trees by humans before the end of their lifecycle. These five factors, see figure below, occur over different timeframes and can change the TC in two ways; 1) there can be an increase in the size of the canopy (referred to as TC Gains), and 2) there can be a reduction the size of the canopy (referred to as TC Losses). Three of these factors (tree growth, tree mortality, tree removal) change the canopy immediately, while gains in growth from natural regeneration and tree planting take much longer and are viewed as long-term gains. Added together these five factors identify whether the canopy is increasing or decreasing over time. '111114 — TREE CANOPY GAINS TREE Long-TermImmediate Gain Long -Term Gain CANOPY NR CHANGE Natural - Regeneration Immediate Loss Immediate Loss TR Tree Mortality Tree Removal Figure 5 - Five factors that impact tree canopy change. Using advanced imaging technology, Kitchener first assessed its TC in 2014. In addition to identify the characteristics of the city's TC at the time, this work also established the baseline data that could be used going forward to compare and monitor the canopy change over time. In 2019 the city assessed its TC again. With two data points, Kitchener can accurately measure and identify the gains and losses in its canopy from 2014 to 2019. 2.3 TC Change - Gains & Losses In the figure below, the mapping shows areas where no change has occurred, where canopy has been lost, and where canopy has increased. This can be seen in the figure below, which shows the area around Northmanor Cres (Ward 7) where over 170 city ash trees (losses shown in red) were removed due to Emerald Ash Borer. Areas in yellow show where no change has occurred, while areas in green shows canopy growth. X. Gain No C�anqe "k VAI f,,� -. S 1� Loss ' - h +/ y i � J _ - .S �, .. f ^�-" rXW .� dlSN.���' �'c�Y � " .`ii di"E..��J..�� ...v'�PTo7d a'..• , . � . - •�:.. � �� � ., .. .. r � If=<y.R1., Figure 6 - 2014 to 2019 Tree Canopy Change - Gains and Lossses In addition to showing where TC has changed, this data can identify trends at different scales. The figure to the right shows the gains and losses for Wards (2014 to 2019). While all Wards lost TC, overall, the TC grew more, resulting in a net gain of 2.4% net gain over 5 years. 8o 50 40 V 20 X 0 -20 -40 Tree Canopy Gains & Losses by Ward (2014 to 2019) Ward 1 Ward 2 Ward 3 Ward 4 Ward 5 Ward 5 Ward 7 Ward 8 Ward 9 Ward 1.0 39 39 45 42 4.12mnom MTota I TC Loss a TC Gain = Lost ■ Net TC Gain Figure 7 - Tree Canopy Gains & Losses by Ward 2.4 The Importance of Big Trees Not all trees provide equal benefits. In contrast to other assets, trees provide the majority of their at maturity. Figure 8, shows how benefits (red arrow) increase with tree size. Research tells us, a 40cm diameter (40 years) tree provides more IM,LCanopy benefits than a juvenile tree and significantly more than a newly planted tree. Recognizing that forty -year-old trees can live for another 60, 80 even 100 years and the benefits they provide 32 m' Canopy *11, 75 m' Canopy (e.g. carbon sequestration, mental health) Lifestage New Tree Juvenile semi -Mature Age (years} Now Twenty Forty growing and maintaining big trees is an important Diameter 5 c 20 cm 40 cm Figure 8 - Tree benefits and canopy size. part of a sustainable TC strategy. 2.5 Newly planted trees provide long-term benefits. Figure 8 (above) shows that a forty -year-old tree provides about 75 times more canopy than a recently planted tree. As shown in Figure 9, today to increase the canopy by 1% you would need to plant 1.3 million new trees, whereas allowing the trees to grow over twenty or forty years you would only need to plan 40,000 or 18,000 trees. Tree planting is a long-term investment. It is important to balance TC investment decisions to ensure the growth and protection of existing trees and strategically planting new trees that will realize long-term success over its lifecycle." Today Twenty Years 1.3 Million 40,000 Trees 18,000 Trees Figure 9 - Tree planting a long-term benefit. 2.6 Kitchener's Sustainable Urban Forest Strategy Kitchener's sustainable urban forest strategy (2019-2028) is built around the five branches of a sustainable urban forest: 1.) Plan, 2.) Engage, 3.) Maintain, 4.) Protect and 5.) Plant. Maintaining and enhancing the city's TC is affected by and requires action in all five branches. The ten-year plan identifies fifteen required actions, including Action #13: Set a tree canopy target and develop a long-term plan ensuring a vibrant and resilient tree canopy for future generations. Figure 10 - Five Branches of a Sustainable Urban Forest Kitchener's 2017 Sustainable Urban Forest Report Card, built on industry best practices, provides further guidance in the work that would be required to achieve and maintain a desired degree of tree cover. The report card monitors 28 targets that have been identified as requirements for a sustainable urban forest. In 2017 Kitchener's urban forestry program was rated as fair. If the city was to set a target and carry out the associated work there would be a noticeable improvement in Kitchener's rating. While all 28 targets affect TC, seven targets that play a key role are identified in the table below. V Figure 11 - 2017 Report Card Rating Table 1 - Seven key targets for developing and maintaining TC targets. While not all trees planted in the city need to grow and become big trees, it is always best to plant as many large growing trees as possible to maximize benefits and the quality of the TC. Additionally, by planning for what big trees need, you have the requirements for all other trees covered. To grow big trees that can reach 60-80 cm in diameter and live for 60 to 100 years, you need to: 1) Select the best tree species for the physical site, the future climate, and focus on planting big trees. 2) Only plant in locations that can support healthy quality trees over the long-term. 3) Ensure the tree has the required soil quality and volume to support its mature size. 4) Plant the tree correctly and water it until it becomes established. 5) Prune the tree through all its life stages to maintain health and structural resilience. 6) Carry out the required maintenance/management of the tree and its soil habitat. 7) Protect the physical tree, its roots and soil habitat during its full lifecycle. 8) Through bylaws and policies protect the tree/soil during construction, development, etc. 9) When healthy trees need to be removed require appropriate financial compensation. 10) Promote the benefits of trees and the city's TC. 11) Educate residents about best practices and the benefits of tree stewardship. 12) Engage residents in the planting, care & conservation of the public/private urban forest. Target A. Key ObjectivesMM Achieve desired degree of tree cover, based on potential or according to goals set T1 Relative Canopy Cover for entire municipality and for each neighborhood or land use. itizen involvement and neighborhood actio ]iML municipalitymr At tZneighborhoocl level, citizens participate, and groups collaborate with the partnering NGOs in urban advance municipality-wideof Urban forest policy and practice driven by accurate, high-resolution, and recent Canopy Cover R2 assessments of existing and potential canopy cover, with comprehensive goals Assessment and Goals municipality -wide and at neighborhood or smaller management level. Environmental Justic is Ensure that the benefits of urban forests are made available to all, especially to those and*tv -p-= L _iri_e_re_aAesttPed. Tree establishment, Comprehensive and effective tree planting and establishment program is driven by R7 planning and canopy cover goals and other considerations according to plan. (Also requires action implementation on Targets T3 — Species Diversity, T4- Species Suitability) Tree protection policy The benefits derived from trees on public and private land are ensured by the R9 development and enforcement of municipality -wide policies, including tree care "best management enforcement practices." While not all trees planted in the city need to grow and become big trees, it is always best to plant as many large growing trees as possible to maximize benefits and the quality of the TC. Additionally, by planning for what big trees need, you have the requirements for all other trees covered. To grow big trees that can reach 60-80 cm in diameter and live for 60 to 100 years, you need to: 1) Select the best tree species for the physical site, the future climate, and focus on planting big trees. 2) Only plant in locations that can support healthy quality trees over the long-term. 3) Ensure the tree has the required soil quality and volume to support its mature size. 4) Plant the tree correctly and water it until it becomes established. 5) Prune the tree through all its life stages to maintain health and structural resilience. 6) Carry out the required maintenance/management of the tree and its soil habitat. 7) Protect the physical tree, its roots and soil habitat during its full lifecycle. 8) Through bylaws and policies protect the tree/soil during construction, development, etc. 9) When healthy trees need to be removed require appropriate financial compensation. 10) Promote the benefits of trees and the city's TC. 11) Educate residents about best practices and the benefits of tree stewardship. 12) Engage residents in the planting, care & conservation of the public/private urban forest. 3. Kitchener's Tree Canopy (TC) - 27.2% The following sections provide an overview of the state of Kitchener's TC in 2019. The characteristics, changes, and opportunities to increase TC are discussed at the city and ward level, along with a more detailed discussion at the ward/planning community level. In 2019, Kitchener's existing TC was determined to be 27.2% and 3,615 ha of the city are covered by trees. Over five years (2014), since the TC was last assessed, it has increased by 285 hectares, resulting in a net gain of 2.4%. This is a notable increase considering that at the same time the city lost most of its ash trees due to an invasive, introduced tree pest, Emerald Ash Borer. 3.1 Comparing Kitchener's TC to other cities In Figure 13, Kitchener's existing TC is compared to six other southern Ontario cities that have set TC targets. Three of the cities are larger than Kitchener, and three are smaller. With 27% TC, Kitchener has the same TC as Cambridge, and just below Toronto and Oakville that have 28%. Tree Canopy Change (2414 to 2019) 4000 3615 3330 3000 u 2000 24.8% 1000 2014 2019 0 Figure 12 - TC change 2014 to 2019 Kitchener's TC Compared to other Cities 28% .28°% Toronto Oakville 27% 27% 24% 23% 21% Kitchener Cambridge London Guelph Hamilton Figure 13 - Kitchener's TC compared to other cities. 3.2 Tree Canopy (TC) Ownership This section identifies who owns the existing TC, and where the greatest opportunities exist to increase TC are, two important iso effectively plan and manage the TC, know who owns the canopy and where Existing % TC Ownership TC ownership can be separated into trees that are on: 1. Public Lands (e.g., city, region, school boards, etc.) and, 2. Private Lands (e.g., residential, commercial, industrial, etc.), and 3. Unknown Lands (< 2%) where ownership is not known) Figure 14 shows the breakdown of TC ownership, with 48% public and 50% private. Today public and private landowners both play an important role in maintaining and conserving the existing TC % TC Ownership by Public Agencies Other Education Un GRCA 6% Regioi 7% Provincial 7% Figure 16 - Public Agency TC Ownership Possible Vegetation TC by Ownership Existing %TC Ownership Unknown- 2% nknown-2% Public 48% Figure 14 - Existing % TC Ownership Public Agency TC by Ownership While there are quite a few public agencies (e.g. Provincial, Region, GRCA, school boards) within Kitchener, seventy percent of the tree canopy for public agencies is on city owned land. The Provincial Government (7%), Region of Waterloo (7%), and Grand River Conservation Authority (6%) also make important contributions to the city's tree canopy, while the school boards only account for 2% of the public agency tree canopy. Possible vegetated TC identifies areas of the city that are covered with grass, shrubs, and soil that could be planted with trees. The figure to the left shows that 65% of the lands where trees could be planted easily are on private property, while only 32% of the opportunities are on public lands. With this recognition any plans to increase the city's TC needs to include a discussion about the opportunities of planting and retaining trees on private lands. Possible Vegetation TC Ownership LJnknown Figure 15 - Possible TC Ownership 3.3 TC at the Ward and Planning Community Level When viewed at the ward level the variability in the city's tree canopy (TC) starts to become more apparent. The existing TC ranges from a high of 36.2% (Ward 4) to a low of 16.8% (Ward 5). Figure 17 shows this variability by grouping the percent TC for each ward into one of the Figure 17 - five TC ranges. Recognizing that TC is Existing TC by City Ward constantly changing it is better to view TC Ward 1 within a set of ranges rather than a specific Ward 10 29.8% 26.3% number. In 2019 five of the city wards TC was greater than the city average (27.3%), Ward 8 Ward 9 Ward 2 32 6% 247% 34% while five were less than the average. Ward While an important metric, percent TC does not always tell the full story. Ward 5 is a good example, while it has the lowest percent TC (16.8%), it has more land area covered by TC than Wards 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10, which have higher percent TC's Figure 18 contrasts the percent TC (red line), the hectares of TC (shown as green), and the size of each ward. While, all the wards have a higher percent TC than Ward 5, only Wards Three (527ha) and Four (610ha) have more hectares of TC than Ward Five (498ha). Ward 5, 16.8% TIC does not tell the full story. 21.9% Ward 6 Ward 3 21.9% 28.5% Ward 5 Ward 4 16.8% 36.2% Existing / Possible Tree Canopy Metrics by Ward 3000 gp 40.0% \ 34.0% 2500 /\ //�\ 32.6% f N/" 30.0'% 29.8% 2000 zss% vwwx r9V 24.7% F 1500 20.0%1] 1000 10.0% Soo 0 0.0% Ward 1 Ward 2 Ward 3 Ward 4 Ward 5 Ward 6 Ward 7 Ward 8 Ward 10 Ward 9 i Existing TC � Possible Vegetated TC Possible Impervious TC Not Suitable -% Existing TC Figure 18 - Existing/ Possible Tree Canopy Metrics by Ward 4. Setting a Tree Canopy Target 4.1 Background - What the research says, and TC targets other cities have set This section provides some background information on what urban forest researchers are recommending, what targets other cities have set, and what five years of data tells us. In 1997 leading urban forest researchers recommended a universal TC target of 40%, but as understanding of urban forests advanced, technology improved, and TC analysis evolved it was recognized that TC targets cannot be broadly applied since each city is unique. It is now recognized that a target needs to: 1. address local conditions and issues (development history, soil variability), 2. be scalable (e.g., ward, neighborhood, street) and 3. monitor the 28 parameters in Kitchener's Sustainable Urban Forest Report Card that will ultimately influence the quality and quantity of TC. The table to the right lists, in order of percent TC, six southern Ontario cities that have already set targets. With 27.3% TC, Kitchener's compares well to the other cities, having one of the higher TC. In terms of TC Targets that have been set, three of the communities (Toronto, Oakville, Guelph) have set targets of 40%, followed by London at 34% and Cambridge / Hamilton at 30% target. Timeframes to reach these targets varies from no defined time to fifty years. i time 2 - TC torgecs seg uy oLiitf Li ies. In the early years when cities set TC targets, the focus was often limited to the benefits trees provide to the community in terms of carbon sequestration, cooling, pollution mitigation, etc. More recently there is growing recognition of the mental health and social well-being benefits trees provided. Recognizing the limits of just setting a TC target for the whole city, and the importance of ensuring all citizens have access to trees and their benefits it has been recommended that cities strive for: • All neighbourhoods should have at least 30 percent tree canopy, and 0 Every citizen should be able to see at least three trees (of decent size) from their home. TC arget Timeframe Toronto 28.4% 40% 50 yrs. Oakville 27.8% 40% 50 yrs. Kitchener 27.3% TBD TBD Cambridge 27% 30% 20 yrs. London 23.7% 34% 50 yrs. Guelph 23.3% 40% - Hamilton 21.2% 30% - In the early years when cities set TC targets, the focus was often limited to the benefits trees provide to the community in terms of carbon sequestration, cooling, pollution mitigation, etc. More recently there is growing recognition of the mental health and social well-being benefits trees provided. Recognizing the limits of just setting a TC target for the whole city, and the importance of ensuring all citizens have access to trees and their benefits it has been recommended that cities strive for: • All neighbourhoods should have at least 30 percent tree canopy, and 0 Every citizen should be able to see at least three trees (of decent size) from their home. 4.2 Projecting Kitchener's TC for the next fifty years In 2014 Kitchener's tree canopy was 25% and in 2019 it increased to 27%, resulting in a net gain of 2%. Using this data, a series of canopy projections, shown below, have been made for the next fifty years. With only five years of actual data for a dynamic and long living resource, these projections need to be used with caution and are only intended to provide a starting point. Overtime as more data is collected the projections will get more accurate. The three possible projections assume the following rates are held constant for the next fifty years, an unlikely situation: Tree canopy growth rate Tree planting rate Tree mortality rate Tree removal rate The first projection uses the 2% growth rate that occurred from 2014 to 2019. This rate of canopy expansion is considered optimistic based on analysis of canopy growth rates of other municipalities with similar data. However, if this 2% growth rate was maintained the city's TC would be 51% in 2070. The other two scenarios are moderate and conservative projections but still assume the canopy increasing by 1% or 0.5% resulting in the city's TC being 39 or 33% in fifty years. In the short term (< 25 years), for all three scenarios, the forecasted growth would come primarily from existing semi -mature and mature trees expanding their individual canopies. As noted earlier in this report, undertaking a large tree planting campaign can be one of the tools used to increase the communities TC, but the benefits of tree planting is a long term action, that would not have a noticeable impact on the city's TC for 30 to 40 years. Actual and Projected Tree Canopy Growth over Fifty Years (2020 to 2070) 55% -- Actual Tree Canopy Growth 2014- 2014 51% 50% -6— 2%_ project Tree Canopy Growth 48%� 46% -4p--1% - Project Tree Canopy Growth 44% 45% -t• 0.5% -Project Tree Canopy Growth 41% 401A 39% 39% 38% 37% 37% 35% 34% 34% 35% 33% 32% 32% 31% 30% 30% - 30% 32% 327 33% 27°10 31% 32% y �b , .. .. 28% 29% 30% 30% 25% Z+f. 28% 20% 2014 2019 2025 2030 2035 2040 2045 2050 2055 2060 2065 2070 Figure 19 - Actual & projected TC growth over fifty years. 4.3 Establishing the TC Target Framework This section focuses on the framework that will be used to set and monitor TC Targets. It is scalable allowing the TC to be shown at the: 1) city, 2) ward and 3) planning community level. Eight TC Ranges have been established, in five percent increments, they range from five to forty-five percent, a range that covers the existing TC (6.9% to 44.3%) found in the city's planning communities As a guide and to initiate discussion, this framework uses the minimum thirty percent TC target that was identified on page 11. Using the thirty percent TC as a marker, makes it easy to see which areas are: 1) above, 2) close to, or 3) below the mark. The ranges also give an indication as to effort required to improve the existing TC. For example, the TC in Wards close to or over the 30% mark, could benefit more from a focus on protecting existing trees, whereas tree planting may provide more TC benefits in Wards below the 30% TC mark The table below shows the existing TC for the city and each ward, along with their TC range. The hatched line identifies the thirty percent mark, showing the wards that are above (2,4, 8), those that are close (City,1,3,10) and those below the mark (5,6,7,9). Looking at the ranges you can see that Ward 1 could achieve >35% TC in ten years, while Wards 6/7 could achieve >25% TC in 30 years, assuming a modest gain of 0.5% canopy gain/five years. owe 3 - txisting Percent TC for Ward by TC Ranges Percent TC Ranges PW City Wide 26.7% Ward 1 29.8% Ward 2 34% Ward 3 28.5% Ward 4 36.2% Ward 5 6.8% Ward 6 21.9% Ward 7 21.9% Ward 8 32.6% Ward 9 24.7% Ward 10 26.3% 4.4 Actions that could support maintaining \ enhancing the city's TC The table below identifies key actions that could be part of the city's TC Plan. All the proposed actions are aligned with the sustainable urban forest strategy and report card. Table 4 - Actions that could support maintaining and enhancing the city's TC. SUFS OF Actions Report Card 1. Setting tree canopy targets As a place to start the conversation of what Kitchener's TC targets could be, this report #1, 13 T1, R2 puts forward the ideas of: i) neighbourhoods striving for at least 30% TC, and ii) residents being able to see at least three trees from their home. 2. Set targets at the city, ward and planning community level T1, R2 Best practices suggest TC targets be set to the neighbourhood level. While this report #13 uses planning communities to identify neighbourhoods for planning TC, there is also the recognition that Kitchener's nieghbourhoods are diverse and do not follow boundaries. 3. Tree canopy distribution and equity. This report shows the broad variability in the city's TC. A TC Plan could include a focus on #13 R3 increasing TC in areas below the city average to increase TC and access to trees, which could be achieved by intensifying tree planting efforts in areas with lower canopy. 4. The role of private lands and the city's tree canopy Private lands play an important role in the existing TC and residential properties provide #13 Cl -05 the greatest opportunities to increase TC. A TC Plan should include a focus on supporting opportunities to increase community engagement and stewardship on private lands. 5. Tree protection policies on public and private lands Tree protection policies for public and private lands play an important role in #11 R6 maintaining TC on public and private lands. A TC plan should include a review and updating of existing policies to support conserving the community's TC. 6. Community partnerships & funding Increasing TC will require increased levels of funding. Recognizing the importance and #5, 6, 7 C1- C5 role of the private urban forest a TC Plan could be built around community engagement, the building of partnerships, sponsorships, and non-traditional funding sources. 7. Tree planting and soil management best practices To grow a healthy and resilient TC, trees need the required quantity and quality of soil to #15 R7 support their mature size. Establishing best practices, implementing supporting policies, engaging/ informing the community are all key requirements. 5. City Ward Tree Canopy Summaries The following Ward Summaries identify the characteristics of the TC for each Ward and their Planning Communities. Each Ward Summary provides. • A brief description of the characteristics and key issues for each ward. • A map showing the percent TC for each planning community (PC) within the ward. PC's that occur in more than one ward are underlined. • Existing TC - The existing percent TC for the ward (2019). • % to reach 30% - the amount of additional TC required to reach 30% TC for the ward is used to show how city wards and planning communities compare to the recommended 30% (pg.15) • 5 Yr TC Change — the percent change in the wards TC from 2014 to 2019. • Ownership Existing TC - the precent breakdown of the existing TC by public/private ownership. • Ownership Possible TC - the percent breakdown of the possible (new tree planting) TC by public/ private ownership. • Existing TC for Ward and its Planning Communities — identifies the existing percent tree canopy for the ward and all planning communities within the ward and shows which ward/planning communities are above or above the 30% TC. Figure 20 - TC of Planning Communities Table 5 - Ward One Tree Canopy Summary Ward 1 and its Planning Communities Tree Canopy Ward 1 is one of the larger wards at 1600 ha, today 470 of those ha is covered by TC resulting in 29.8% TC. The wards TC only needs to increase by 0.2% to reach 30% TC, and since 2014 the TC has increased by 2.4%. The TC on private lands plays an important role, with 55% the existing TC and 62% of the possible TC located on private property.RT 9R1�'EPtRT EAST TC in the planning communities ranges from 27% 21% (Grand River North) to 42.3% in +f14rTt7RWl *DaTH Bridgeport West. With the Grand River running 24.6% AN RrR alon g g the eastern ed e of this ward, the TC ORTH "21% .k 219a also benefits to the high number of treed ` woodlots along the river. ROSEMOUNT 1EPARKE 33.14 25.9% The residential lots in the older areas are large with relatively good quality soils supporting the growth of large trees. I Existing TO Possible 29.8% +0.2%.4% + % Public Private Public Private 2 44% 55% 33% 62% W Ward 1 Bridgeport East Bridgeport West ' Grand River North Heritage Park Rosemont Victoria North Table 6 - Ward Two Tree Canopy Summary Ward 2 and its Planning Communities Tree Canopy Ward 2 is one of the larger wards at 1400 ha, today 470 of those ha is covered by TC resulting in 34% TC. The wards TC has already exceeded 30% TC, and since 2014 the TC has increased by 2.7%. Most of the existing TC (60%) in this ward is found on public lands, vR'wa while private lands provide more opportunitiesW Rh1CR DWUTII to increase TC with 52%.° _ The TC in Ward 2, planning communities is very and" similar, ranging from 30.2% (Idlewood) to a high of 39.1% (Stanley Park). The large number of treed woodlots, largely in public ownership help to increase the higher TC in this ward. CE'KTfiEViLLE Vir-OPEE Many of the older residential areas in this ward have shown the capacity to grow large trees. The development in the Grand River South area is newer and dominated by younger trees. O=Jl rM (i grPublic Private Public Private 34% 0% +2.7% 60% 36% 45% 52% Ward 2 Centreville Chicopee Grand River South Idlewood Stanley Park Table 7 - Ward Three Tree Canopy Summary Ward 3 and its Planning Communities Tree Canopy Ward 3 is the second largest ward at 1928 ha, today 527 of those ha is covered by TC resulting in 28.5% TC. The wards TC only needs to increase by 1.5% to reach 30%, and since 2014 the TC has increased by 2.4%. TC ownership is split relatively equal with 50% of the existing TC on private lands along with VANI ER 21.2% the largest opportunities to increase TC at 1L9%E TLS 53%. ,n, HID s s V Yard VALLEY ` RIWIEER While the TC for this ward is close to 30%,NDUSTRAL 36.2% Tc r2 PIONEER EAST there is considerable variability in the existing PARK TOWER 28.4% 23.3% }BEST tree canopy in the planning communities. 39.2% Alpine has only 15%, while Pioneer Tower West has 39.2%. Six of the planning communities have less than 30% TC. The wide range of land use in this ward in part influences the TC variability found in the planning communities. Existing TC % to reach 0' Possible 28.5% +1.5% +2.4% Public Private Public Private 48% 50% 42% 53% Ward 3 ' Alpine •., Country Hills East SEEM - Hidden Valley ' Pioneer Tower East Pioneer Tower West ' Trillium Industrial Park Vanier Table 8 - Ward Four Tree Canopy Summary Ward 4 and its Planning Communities Tree Canopy Ward 4 is the third largest ward at 1719 ha and has the most TC canopy of any wards with 36.2% (610 ha). The wards TC already exceeds 30% TC and its TC increased by 2.5% since 2014. Most of the existing TC (56%) is in public ownership and reflects the large number of treed woodlots in this ward, however the. 27`;. greatest opportunities to increase TC in they, future is on private lands (59%). 5.71N. Ward 4 Except for a small area of the Dundee planning BOON WUTII community (12.6% TC), all of the other planning communities in this ward have TC close to or above 30%, and with Pioneer Park at 43.9%. W in Zorn.; " �blic Private Public Private 36.2% 7 0% +2.5% 46% 41% 39% 59% Ward 4 ' Brigadoon a ', Doon South •'. Dundee .'. Lower Doon Pioneer Park •'. Table 9 - Ward Five Tree Canopy Summary Communities Tree Canopy MEN&.W.ard 5 and its Planning Ward 5 is the largest ward in the city at 2961 hectares and has the third highest amount of TC with 489 hectares. However, do due its TRILLIUM INDUSTRIAL large size and the different land uses (e.g., z 3% agricultural lands, resource extraction) its REN„AN existing TC is only 16.8%. TC in this ward would eET need to increase by 13.2% to reach 30% TC, HURON since 2014 this wards TC has increased by 36.9% 0.4%. In terms of TC, private ownership plays ROSENBERG 11.9% an important role with 58% of the existing TC TRUSSLER HURON being private and 83% of the possible TC also SOUTH 16.9% 146% being on private lands. Except for Huron Park (36.9%) all the planning Ward 5 SOUTH DUNDEE communities have less than 25% TC and four PLAINS 12.6% 12.6% (Dundee, Huron South, Rosenberg, South Plains) have less than 15% TC. The smaller lot sizes and road allowances in this area greatly reduces opportunities to increase TC on public lands in this area. � Public Private Public Private +13.2% +0.4% 40% 58% 12 83% Ward 5 Dundee .'. Huron Park •'. Huron South .'. Laurentian West '. Rosenberg •' South Plains Trillium Industrial Park ► '. Trussler . •'. Table 10 - Ward Six Tree Canopy Summary Communities Tree Canopy AM MMM&.W.ard 6 and its Planning Ward 6 is the smallest ward in the city (698 ha) has 152 ha of TC resulting in 21.9% TC. The wards TC would need to increase by 8.1% to reach 30%, and since 2014 the TC has increased by 2.5%. At 51% just over half of the existing TC is on private lands, while the opportunities to increase tree canopy is equally split between public and private lands at 48% each. LAIJRCHTWN IIILLS 20.6-,h With 35.1% TC Country Hills planning community has the highest TC, while Laurentian Hills is close to the ward average with 20.6% and Alpine has the lowest with " r i "HILLS ODUWRY J5.1% LLS WEST 14.9% TC. 0" Possible 21.9% +8.1% 2.5% Public Private Public Private 43% 51% 48% 48% Ward 6 •', Alpine •'. Country Hills Country Hills West Laurentian Hills Table 11 - Ward Seven Tree Canopy Summary Communities Tree Canopy MMM&.W.ard 7 and its Planning Ward 7 is one of the smaller city wards with 1014 ha and 220 of the ha have TC resulting in the ward having an existing TC of 21.9%. The wards TC would need to increase by 8.1% to reach 30% TC, and since 2014 the TC has increased by 3.2%. At 53% just over half of the existing tree canopy is on public lands, while the opportunities to increase tree canopy is 11GHLAND '�fEST relatively equal. Ward 7 This ward only has two planning communities, Highland West has just under 20% TC, while Forest Heights has 24.3% TC. MUST IIEIGIITS z4. 0% 5 Yr TC Change Ownership Existing TC Ownership Possible 21.9% +8.1% +3.2% Public Private Public Private 53% 45% 50% 48% Ward 7 •' Forest Heights Highland West • .'. Table 12 - Ward Eipht Tree Canopy Summary Ward 8 is the second smallest ward with 752 ha, but 244 of those ha is covered with trees resulting in an existing TC of 32.6%, the third highest TC for all city wards. The wards existing TC is just above 30% and since 2014 the TC increased by 3%. The TC on private lands plays 38.3%NT CH I' ° an important role in this ward with 57% of the existing TC and 61% of the possible TC being on private lands. VICTORIA HILLS 25.5% Q ST 8 . Ward M94%� Two planning communities (Westmount — -' 38.3%, Meinzinger Park Lakeside - 44.3%) have TC's above 30%, and three others (Forest Hill, MEINZINGER FOREST PARK -LAKESIDE St Mary's, Victoria Hills) are in the 25 to 30% LL 291.5% 44.3% ra nge. Existing TC=,, % to reach 0% 5 Yr TC Change Ownership Existing TC Ownership Possible Public Private Public Private 32.6% 0% +3.0% 40% 57% 35% 61% Ward 8 ' Cherry Hill Forest Hill Meinzinger Park Lakeside '. St. Mary's Westmount '. Victoria Hills Table 13 - Ward Nine Tree Canopy Summary Ward 9 and its Planning Communities Tree Canopy Ward 9 is one of the smaller wards at 809 ha, today 198 of those ha is covered by TC resulting in 24.7% TC. The wards TC would need to increase by 5.3% increase to reach 30% TC, since 2014 the TC has increased by II.SR 2.3%. TC in the Planning Communities (PC) 2.5% ranges from a low of 6.9% (City Commercial Core) to a high of 27.3% (Cedar Hill). RRY HELL _ R% CED FIIL L T Private lands play an important role with 59% ulx of the existing TC and 65% of the possible TC WOODSID� being on private lands. Intensification is ST Q MARYS r 9 % * * occurring in parts of this ward which could SO UT F, GAL[ RiJGICV4WY 27.2% result in the loss of TC. An older area of the city, many of the lots are large with good quality and quantities of soil that can support the growing of large trees. Public PrivatePublic Private 24. % +5.3% + 2.3% 40% 59%734% 65% Existing TC for Ward and its Planning Communities Ward 9 Cedar Hill Cherry Hill City Commercial Core Courtland Woodside Park Kind East KW Hospital Rockway Southdale St. Mary's Victoria ParkAir. Table 14 - Ward Ten Tree Canopy Summary IWard 10 and its Planning Communities - Tree Canopy Targets (2020 -2070) Ward 10 is one of the smaller wards at 830 ha, today 220 of those ha is covered by TC resulting in 26.3% TC. The wards TC would need to increase by 3.7% increase to reach 30% TC, since 2014 the TC has increased by 2.1%. TC in the RORTIMARD Planning Communities (PC) ranges from a low 24% of 6.9% (City Commercial Core) to a high of a 10 T 37.4% (Fairfield). RD PE HLVRO N Private lands play an important role with 57% 1145 PARK GERTRAL M.2% CE UT FREDERICK of the existing TC and 59% of the possible TC 31. being on private lands. Intensification is AIJDF3RIUM occurring in parts of this ward which could 25.E result in the loss of TC. An older area of the 1° ST city, many of the lots are large with good sTWOOD quality and quantities of soil that can support 27.E the growing of large trees. Existing TC % to reach 0% 5 Yr TC Change Ownership Existing TC Ownership Possible Public Private Public Private 26.3% +3.7% +2. 1% 42% 57% 40% 59% gig '11!24 Ward 10 Fairfield Civic Centre Eastwood Central Frederick Auditorium K -W Hospital Northward Mt. Hope Huron Park King East City Commercial Core •'