Tree Planting Strategy

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Background

“Putting Down Roots for the Future” is the City of Ottawa’s 20-year strategic Urban Forest Management Plan (UFMP). Ottawa’s urban forest includes all trees and their habitat on both public and private property. The plan was passed by Council in June 2017 and provides a comprehensive long-term vision and strategic direction for Ottawa’s urban forest. The plan includes twenty-six recommendations and is broken down into five 4-year management periods. These management periods guide the City’s work towards achieving the vision, principles, and objectives for the urban forest. The first management period spanned from 2018-2022 and focused on themes of tree protection, data collection, and improving tree retention through policy implementation. Themes were addressed through work on the tree by-law review and the enactment of the new Tree Protection By-law, Tree Canopy Assessment, Ottawa’s Tree Inventory, and improvements to policy implementation through internal engagement.

Project Overview

The UFMP is currently in its second management period, spanning from 2023-2027. Themes for the second management period are tree planting, tree maintenance, and community outreach and engagement. The feature project of the second management period is the creation of a Tree Planting Strategy for Ottawa. This project will help move the City towards the new urban canopy cover target of 40% by shifting the approach to tree planting from reactive to proactive. The Tree Planting Strategy will include:

  • Evaluating existing planting programs

  • Developing new planting programs to deliver tree planting in priority areas and beyond

  • Creating a tool to prioritize tree planting in the areas of the city that need it the most

  • Assessing funding opportunities

  • Creating planting guidelines

  • Better integration for tree planting considerations into City initiatives across the corporation

The equitable distribution of tree canopy will be a guiding principle applied to all work under the Tree Planting Strategy. This approach will address neighbourhood-level gaps in the urban forest by considering canopy cover, socio-economic factors, and health data when selecting locations for new plantings.

The strategy will be rolled out incrementally, allowing for faster implementation of new and revised programs, and ultimately getting more trees planted in priority areas quickly. Staff will consult on and report back to Council on program changes as they are developed. Early actions will include a redesign of the commemorative tree planting program, a recommendation on moving to proactive right-of-way planting, and recommendations for how a private land planting program could work in Ottawa.

Public Engagement

Staff want to hear from you! Public engagement and outreach on the Tree Planting Strategy are key to fostering a tree-aware culture in Ottawa.

This year, the City will roll out a series of surveys on tree planting in Ottawa. The first survey was completed this spring. It sought input on current tree planting programs and ideas for future programs. It also included detailed questions about the Commemorative Tree Program. Over 1200 people responded to the survey. A big thank you to the residents of Ottawa for their input! The results of the survey are compiled within an As We Heard It report which can be found here.

Please stay tuned for more engagement to come later this year.

Next Steps

Subscribe to receive project updates and stay informed.

More information will be added to this page throughout the strategy development process.

Additional Information

If you have any questions about this project, please contact urbantree@ottawa.ca

Background

“Putting Down Roots for the Future” is the City of Ottawa’s 20-year strategic Urban Forest Management Plan (UFMP). Ottawa’s urban forest includes all trees and their habitat on both public and private property. The plan was passed by Council in June 2017 and provides a comprehensive long-term vision and strategic direction for Ottawa’s urban forest. The plan includes twenty-six recommendations and is broken down into five 4-year management periods. These management periods guide the City’s work towards achieving the vision, principles, and objectives for the urban forest. The first management period spanned from 2018-2022 and focused on themes of tree protection, data collection, and improving tree retention through policy implementation. Themes were addressed through work on the tree by-law review and the enactment of the new Tree Protection By-law, Tree Canopy Assessment, Ottawa’s Tree Inventory, and improvements to policy implementation through internal engagement.

Project Overview

The UFMP is currently in its second management period, spanning from 2023-2027. Themes for the second management period are tree planting, tree maintenance, and community outreach and engagement. The feature project of the second management period is the creation of a Tree Planting Strategy for Ottawa. This project will help move the City towards the new urban canopy cover target of 40% by shifting the approach to tree planting from reactive to proactive. The Tree Planting Strategy will include:

  • Evaluating existing planting programs

  • Developing new planting programs to deliver tree planting in priority areas and beyond

  • Creating a tool to prioritize tree planting in the areas of the city that need it the most

  • Assessing funding opportunities

  • Creating planting guidelines

  • Better integration for tree planting considerations into City initiatives across the corporation

The equitable distribution of tree canopy will be a guiding principle applied to all work under the Tree Planting Strategy. This approach will address neighbourhood-level gaps in the urban forest by considering canopy cover, socio-economic factors, and health data when selecting locations for new plantings.

The strategy will be rolled out incrementally, allowing for faster implementation of new and revised programs, and ultimately getting more trees planted in priority areas quickly. Staff will consult on and report back to Council on program changes as they are developed. Early actions will include a redesign of the commemorative tree planting program, a recommendation on moving to proactive right-of-way planting, and recommendations for how a private land planting program could work in Ottawa.

Public Engagement

Staff want to hear from you! Public engagement and outreach on the Tree Planting Strategy are key to fostering a tree-aware culture in Ottawa.

This year, the City will roll out a series of surveys on tree planting in Ottawa. The first survey was completed this spring. It sought input on current tree planting programs and ideas for future programs. It also included detailed questions about the Commemorative Tree Program. Over 1200 people responded to the survey. A big thank you to the residents of Ottawa for their input! The results of the survey are compiled within an As We Heard It report which can be found here.

Please stay tuned for more engagement to come later this year.

Next Steps

Subscribe to receive project updates and stay informed.

More information will be added to this page throughout the strategy development process.

Additional Information

If you have any questions about this project, please contact urbantree@ottawa.ca

Page last updated: 05 Jul 2024, 08:15 AM