Toronto has 26.6 per cent tree canopy cover, 116 tree species, and more than 10 million trees.
These are numbers that most Torontonians aren't aware of, and until 2009, neither were policy makers.
The first comprehensive forestry study to quantify the structure and value of Toronto's urban forest was conducted in 2008 (using a combination of aerial imagery and City data sets) by the City's Toronto Urban Forestry Department and their contracted partner, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service Northern.
And on Feburary 20th of this year, City Council approved the action plan based on the study - Toronto's Strategic Forest Management Plan. The Plan, which is the first of its kind in Toronto aims to, among other things, increase Toronto's canopy cover from 26.6 per cent to 40 per cent.
To bring attention to the City's increased interest in urban forest maintenance, and to share with residents some results of the recent studies, the City recently launched the Every Tree Counts initiative.
Launched last Wednesday as part of National Tree Week, the Every Tree Counts project involves the erection of four installations in park areas across the city. The installations consist of giant price tags hung around park trees, accompanied by nearby signs explaining why trees matter, why they're worth so much, and how residents can get involved.
The price tags, with numbers ranging from $2,447 to $30,373 suggest the value of each tree in terms of the ecological services it provides each year (e.g. energy savings, emissions reductions, air quality improvements, carbon storage and sequestration).
The four installations are located at High Park, Botany Hill Park, Lawrence Park and Colonel Sam Smith Park.
"Trees are very beneficial to all of our communities to help sustain their viability," said Councillor Paul Ainslie (Ward 43 Scarborough East) at last Wednesday's Every Tree Counts Event at High Park. "National Forest Week is a great opportunity for Toronto residents to learn more about how our urban canopy improves our environment and what residents can do to help."
Writer: Katia Snukal
Source: City of Toronto