Urban forests include all trees, shrubs, understory plants, and their soils on public and private lands within municipal boundaries.
Urban forests provide numerous benefits for our society and economy, playing a crucial role in the green infrastructure network.
Urban forests contribute to climate change adaptation and mitigation, reducing air and water pollution, and storing carbon. They are also linked to improved mental and physical well-being.
Parks
Parks serve as vital connections between urban and rural ecosystems, safeguarding biodiversity, migratory routes, and pollinator habitats.
Toronto and Region Conservation Authority’s (TRCA) conservation parks and lands offer places to have fun, relieve stress, and connect with nature.
Projects
TRCA engages in a wide variety of projects supporting urban forestry initiatives – both for partner municipalities and for our own watershed planning process.
We work on urban forestry at the neighbourhood, municipal, regional, and watershed scales.
NEIGHBOURHOOD PROJECTS
TRCA’s Sustainable Neighbourhood Action Program (SNAP) works to enhance the urban forest in selected neighbourhoods, creating opportunities for residents to plant trees and discover their benefits.
MUNICIPAL PROJECTS
TRCA collaborates with municipalities to develop canopy cover and forest assessments of the distribution, structure, and health of the urban forest.
This helps municipalities manage, protect, and enhance the urban forest set and understand the benefits that urban forest provides to residents, especially in the face of climate change.
TRCA projects with municipalities include:
York Region Forest Assessments, 2021 – 2025
TRCA, working with York Region, and in partnership with local municipalities, is assessing the distribution, structure, composition, and health of urban forests and quantifying the ecosystem services provided, using i-Tree Eco, field surveys, and orthophotography interpretation.
York Region State of Forests, 2017 and 2021
TRCA partnered with York Region to support detailed mapping of land cover and canopy cover across the Region.
The canopy cover assessment was used to update York’s State of the Forest Report and assess progress towards canopy cover goals.
The land cover map will be used to identify tree planting opportunities across the Region.
Peel Natural Green Infrastructure Asset Inventory and Condition Assessment, 2022 – 2024
Peel Region has partnered with TRCA and Credit Valley Conservation to complete a natural green infrastructure inventory and condition assessment.
Data is being collected for individual trees, tree and shrub clusters (including forests, hedges, and clumps) and larger tree and shrub communities that fall into regional road rights-of-way and on regionally owned and managed properties.
The data collected will support regional asset management planning as well urban forest health and maintenance objectives.
Field teams collect data on tree species, size, and health. They also collect data on invasive plants, pests, and tree diseases.
Peel Best Management Practice Guides, 2021
TRCA has helped to develop a series of applied urban forest best practice guides for building resilience in Peel Region and southern Ontario in the context of climate change.
The Best Management Practice Guides highlight:
- The importance of investing in the urban forest
- A comprehensive framework and principles for urban forest adaptation
- Fostering diversity at multiple scales
- Embracing a multi-disciplinary and integrated approach
THE GUIDES:
Select the thumbnail images below to download the guides.
Green Infrastructure Ontario Coalition and Greenbelt Large Parks Research
TRCA partnered with the Green Infrastructure Ontario Coalition and the Greenbelt Foundation on a series of reports about large parks in the Greater Golden Horseshoe of southern Ontario.
This research focused on identifying existing large parks and the need for additional park creation to address growing populations and equitable access:
- Improving Access to Large Parks in Ontario’s Golden Horseshoe (2022)
- State of Large Parks in Ontario’s Golden Horseshoe (2019)
Select the thumbnail images below to download the reports.
Peel Urban Forest Strategy, 2011
The Peel Urban Forest Strategy was prepared collaboratively by TRCA, Region of Peel, Credit Vally Conservation, City of Mississauga, City of Brampton, and the Town of Caledon.
The strategy provides a framework for the protection and enhancement of the urban forest in Peel Region.
WATERSHED PROJECTS
TRCA is currently working on the Etobicoke Creek and Humber River watershed plans.
These plans include an assessment of the urban forest’s impact on watershed health. They characterize the current state of the urban forest and how it is changing, and present different land use scenarios for canopy cover.
This assessment helps us make management recommendations to improve watershed heath.
The urban forest also plays a vital role in the Natural Heritage System in highly urbanized landscapes such as the Greater Toronto Area where natural forests are scarce.
APPLIED RESEARCH
TRCA conducts applied research on urban forests.
For example, TRCA published Urban Trees and Human Health: A Scoping Review in partnership with University of Washington, Government of Canada, University of British Columbia, and Tree Canada.
This review provides a comprehensive summary of literature on the health impacts of urban trees that can inform future research, policy, and nature-based public health interventions.
Contact
TRCA Watershed Planning and Ecosystem Science: wpes@trca.ca