Every Tree Counts: An Update on Toronto's Growing Tree Canopy

Research has demonstrated that there is a direct correlation between the well-being of our City and the strength of our tree canopy. When our urban forest thrives, Toronto is a more healthy, liveable, and resilient city.

At City Hall, Councillor Robinson has consistently championed strategies to better protect and enhance our tree canopy, both in Ward 15 and across Toronto. With the goal of achieving "more green, less gray," the Councillor has moved a series of motions to tighten up our tree by-laws and ensure the preservation of our City's world class urban forest.

In Toronto, we're fortunate to have one of the densest urban tree canopies in the world. A recent study conducted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) estimated that 19.5 percent of our land is part of the urban forest. Currently, Toronto has the third largest urban tree canopy in Canada and the sixth largest in North America.

Every ten years, Urban Forestry staff undertake an exhaustive study of the City's tree canopy to assess growth, projections, and areas for improvement. The 2018 Tree Canopy Study indicates that Toronto's canopy coverage has increased from 26.6-28 percent to 28-31 percent over the last decade, representing an increase from 10.2 to 11.5 million trees.
 
During her time in office, Councillor Robinson has launched new initiatives to better integrate tree-related considerations in the planning and development process, standardize the criteria used to evaluate the health of a tree, and strengthen enforcement of the tree by-laws by increasing fines and issuing stop-work orders to developers who are not in compliance.

This term, the Councillor has moved motions to ensure proper planning measures are in place to preserve trees on active construction sites and implement strategies to improve the City's standard response time to reports of urgent tree-related violations. Once root damage has been sustained, it is extremely difficult to bring a tree back to good health, making it imperative that reported by-law contraventions are inspected in a timely manner. Councillor Robinson's initiatives have strengthened the City's existing Tree Planting Strategy, which aims to increase canopy coverage to 40 percent by 2050.
 
However, there is still room for improvement. Using data collected in the 2018 Tree Canopy Study, staff will analyze ongoing trends to inform future strategies, such as the Aerial Spray Program that targets the European Gypsy Moth. With the number of annual storms increasing in frequency and duration, Councillor Robinson is committed to developing strategies to protect Toronto's urban forest and invest in our City's future.

With 60 percent of the City's trees on private land, local residents also play an important role in growing our tree canopy. To learn more about how you can get involved, check out the Backyard Tree Planting Program offered by LEAF (Local Enhancement & Appreciation of Forests).