MMGA Report: Canadian Urban Forest Conference
By Linda Dietrick, Master Gardener
From October 15-18, 2024, Winnipeg was host to the annual conference of the national non-profit organization Tree Canada (treecanada.ca). The conference theme, “Trees for All: Equity in Canada’s Urban Forests,” interested me as a Master Gardener, so I decided to attend a pre-conference workshop and one full conference day for a total of 12 presentations. I thank the MMGA board for their support. Here’s my report.
We know that the urban tree canopy plays an important role in mitigating the effects of climate change. Trees capture carbon, moderate temperatures, support diversity, and provide shade and other benefits to humans. At the same time, urban forest managers recognize that less affluent neighbourhoods tend to have fewer trees and greenspace. And that’s a problem for people who cannot escape to a cottage or air-conditioned spaces. Thus, as municipalities plan for the future of a canopy now threatened by urbanization, pests, and wild weather, they are also allowing equity to drive their decisions. This is evident, for example, in Winnipeg’s Urban Forest Strategy (https://engage.winnipeg.ca/10550/widgets/67282/documents/120884); see pp. 37-38.
With this as background, speakers presented an amazing range of perspectives. At the pre-conference workshop sponsored by the Manitoba Urban Forest Council, Danny Blair from the Canadian Climate Centre (an MMGA speaker in May 2022) reminded us that by the year 2100, temperatures on the Prairies will rise by 4-10°C, depending on how well we manage emissions. Urban foresters will have to plant trees that can tolerate not just warmer temperatures, but also more unpredictable temperatures and rainfall. Rick Durand, well known to Master Gardeners through his tree breeding and his guide to cold-hardy trees at prairietrees.ca, reviewed newer cultivars with emphasis on pest resistance and tolerance for weather extremes. Forest specialist Toso Bozic stressed the importance of soil and moisture in new tree plantings. Up to a third of new urban trees will die in their first five years because of many factors, but we can at least ensure they get a good start.
Friday October 18 began with a presentation on trees and thermal dynamics by Melissa McHale (UBC). We’ve heard of the heat island effect, where an urban area with hard surfaces can be as much as 40°C hotter than its surroundings. With every 10% increase in canopy cover, there’s a 1° reduction in mean radiant temperature. Eastern sun exposure is worse because the sun starts heating things earlier there. So trees give more cooling shade if placed on the east side of a building or bus stop. Moreover, people feel subjectively cooler if a bus stop is more aesthetically pleasing, even when there’s no shade! As Tenley Conway (U Toronto) went on to explain, surveys have shown that while most residents feel positively about neighbourhood trees, it depends on whether the trees are properly maintained. What people appreciate is the aesthetic aspect, not environmental services such as shade or rainwater management. Trees are not always the answer; we need to find out what residents want and need. Better to think of the urban tree canopy more inclusively as greenspace. For example, native perennials and shrubs could provide both aesthetic and environmental services in spaces not suited to trees.
Jessica Quinton (Urban Planning, McGill) discussed the concept of “green gentrification.” As near as I could tell, this concept assumes that greener neighbourhoods have undergone gentrification, i.e. housing costs have risen so that only well-to-do people can afford to live there. Quinton’s research shows that greening of an area is very common before, during, and after gentrification. But is it a cause? That might mean we shouldn’t plant trees in less affluent areas for fear of driving up rents! It is obviously more complex.
Mark McDonald (UBC) compared tree by-laws in multiple municipalities across Canada. There are huge variations. Not all municipalities have an urban forest management plan; definitions of trees meriting protection during construction vary greatly, as do permits and fines for infractions. There needs to be much more information sharing.
Shannon Dyck (Saskatoon City Forestry) reported on a planned food forest demonstration project. Community members had asked for this so as to provide canopy for social/cultural uses and free fruit for food-insecure neighbourhoods. The plantings will be installed in phases, starting next spring. Problems may arise from the fact that no one expressed interest in volunteer stewardship, the city could not hire local residents for the install because of bidding requirements, and residents were worried about fairness in the harvesting. The results remain to be seen in what appears to be a worthy project.
Christine Earnshaw (Tree Canada) and Jill Sturdy (Federation of Canadian Municipalities) reported on the Growing Canada’s Community Canopies (GCCC) funding program that will distribute $291M over six years, starting in May 2025, to expand tree canopies in underserved communities. Non-profit organizations like the MMGA can apply in partnership with a municipal government. Funding for planning, infrastructure, and maintenance, not just trees, is available. The application process is complex, but coaching is provided. The minimum project cost is $50K, of which GCCC will cover half. More information will appear in the FCM newsletter (https://greenmunicipalfund.ca/news-media). Martha Barwinsky told me she would be willing to address opportunities like this in her MMGA presentation on November 20.
Kayleigh Hutt-Taylor (Concordia U) reported on research that addresses two different benefits of forests: carbon storage and bird habitat. Most papers on either topic take no notice of the other topic, but she sees potential for combining them. Brynne Maguire, a Manitoban forest therapist, explored the benefits of forest bathing, called shinrin yoku in Japan. Her main point was that it’s not just forest exposure that is healing, but also mindfulness and the slow exercise of all the senses.
A concluding presentation by Lorien Nesbitt (UBC) returned to the issue of equity. Based on her work with marginalized communities, she advocated for the “co-creation of social infrastructure for grassroots urban greening.” In her view, we need to make equity a central planning principle and recognize the needs of diverse communities and the plural values of nature. We live from nature (e.g. food), in nature (e.g. recreation), with nature (supporting natural ecologies), and as nature (through kinship and integration as natural creatures ourselves).
For the full program and photos, visit https://treecanada.ca/research-engagement/canadian-urban-forest-conference/program/.