Vancouver's new urban forest strategy faces challenges, academic says

2 month_ago 25

British Columbia

The city's extremity is to summation its canopy screen – however overmuch of the metropolis is covered by leaves and branches erstwhile seen from supra – from astir 25 per cent of the metropolis to 30 per cent by 2050, according to the updated municipality wood strategy.

The metropolis wants to summation histrion sum by 5% successful 25 years, but improvement pressures could origin challenges

Lauren Vanderdeen · CBC News

· Posted: May 25, 2025 8:25 PM EDT | Last Updated: 8 hours ago

A antheral crosses a roadworthy with a ample fig of trees connected it.

Vancouver councillors person approved an updated program for increasing the city's municipality forest, but a forestry prof says determination are challenges ahead.

The program sets a people to works astir 165,000 caller trees implicit the adjacent 25 years, and encourages residents to works trees successful their ain backyards.

And portion the program has drawn praise from 1 expert, some metropolis councillors and unit person acknowledged determination volition beryllium difficulties successful gathering the goals acceptable retired successful the report.

A flat gathering seen from beneath with a leafy histrion beside it.

Stephen Sheppard, a prof emeritus astatine the University of B.C.'s forestry faculty, said Vancouver's 30 per cent canopy screen people is precise achievable – but helium noted determination is origin for concern.

"There are a batch of threats to this," helium said.

A representation of the City of Vancouver showing histrion canopy coverage. While determination are ample concentrations of trees connected the westside, sum is spotty connected the eastbound side.

In the aftermath of the B.C. authorities pushing hard for cities to summation lodging density, Sheppard advised councillors to minimize the nonaccomplishment of existing municipality trees erstwhile approving rezoning proposals.

"It would marque consciousness to supply beardown guidelines connected however to support and negociate and see trees into these densification projects," Sheppard said.

"We could beryllium expanding the height, but reducing the level abstraction that the buildings instrumentality up and redeeming that basal abstraction for trees. That's truly important."

WATCH | City of Vancouver wants residents to follow trees:

City of Vancouver encourages residents to follow a tree

Don Morrison from the city's parkland committee says that the Adopt a Tree programme is intended to assistance residents beryllium much mindful and assistance steward the city's histrion canopy.

The prof says that the metropolis needs to acceptable wide targets and enactment retired stronger messaging to incentivize backstage spot owners to works trees and attraction for them, adding that trees tin assistance chill down neighbourhoods and trim clime alteration impacts.

"Planting programs for beforehand and backmost yards that encourages and educates radical astir what the benefits are, what the close histrion mightiness beryllium for them —

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