Item - 2020.IE11.1

City Council considered Item EX12.1, IE11.1, IE11.2 and IE11.3 together.

The Infrastructure and Environment Committee recommends that: 

1. City Council direct the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation to use the findings included in the 2018 Tree Canopy Study to inform ongoing urban forestry program planning and strategic resource allocation through revisions to the Urban Forestry Service Plan in 2020 and report back to the Infrastructure and Environment Committee.

2. City Council direct the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation to report in the third quarter of 2020 on the City's strategy to increase tree planting on private land and potential programs to assist with maintenance of trees on private land.

3. City Council direct the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation to:

a.  Reaffirm the 2050 target of a 40 percent tree canopy;

b.  Clarify alignment with TransformTO; and

c.  Report to the Infrastructure and Environment Committee in the third quarter of 2020. 

4. City Council request the Director, Urban Forestry, Parks, Forestry and Recreation to prepare and implement area specific action plans to enhance the tree canopy for neighbourhoods that showed significant loss of tree canopy, as outlined on page 60 of Attachment 2 to the report (December 18, 2019) from the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation. 

The following from Parks, Forestry and Recreation gave a presentation on 2018 Tree Canopy Study:

- Director, Urban Forestry
- Manager, Forestry Operations

- Program Standards and Development Officer
 

The 2018 Tree Canopy Study provides an update to Toronto’s first tree canopy study, Every Tree Counts: A Portrait of Toronto’s Urban Forest, published by the City of Toronto in 2010, and later updated in 2013. A decade has passed since the original study was undertaken. The 2018 update offers an opportunity to evaluate what has changed in Toronto’s urban forest over the ten-year period. This type of tree canopy study is an important part of the adaptive management cycle for Urban Forestry. It allows City staff to work with up-to-date and reliable data to adjust program activities that reflect the changing nature of the urban forest and evolving management issues.

Using established methodologies developed by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service, together with improved data analysis software, the 2018 Tree Canopy Study provides information about broad changes and trends in Toronto's urban forest over time. It provides data on the extent, size class, composition and condition of the urban forest. It also provides insight on land use changes and trends across the city. Additionally, it offers information about the amount and dollar value of several key ecosystem services provided by the urban forest.

Summary of the 2018 Tree Canopy Study findings:

- Toronto's canopy cover increased from 26.6 - 28 percent in 2008 to 28 - 31 percent canopy cover in 2018, representing an increase of 10.2 million to 11.5 million trees.

- Street trees make a significant contribution to the urban forest; increasing from 49 percent to 74 percent rated in good/excellent condition.

- The composition and condition of the urban forest has changed; while there was a slight increase in larger-growing species, the overall condition of the urban forest has declined and invasive species are increasing across the city.

- Impervious land cover is increasing across the city; trends show increases in impervious surface cover across all land uses, however the largest increase being found on single family residential lands.
 

Over the last decade, the City has invested $605.6 million in Toronto’s urban forest, a steady annual increase from 2008 to 2018. Under the guidance of Toronto's Official Plan, the City's growth strategies related to transit and housing are balanced with environmental sustainability objectives, including urban forest sustainability. The City's strong commitment to maintaining, sustaining and growing the urban forest has directly supported the generally positive trends seen in the 2018 Tree Canopy Study. The estimated 1.8 percent canopy increase is a tremendous finding given the intense challenges experienced by Toronto’s urban forest over the last decade, including the devastation by forest pests, particularly Asian long-horned beetle, Emerald ash borer, and European gypsy moth; the impacts of the 2013 ice storm; and the city’s intensive development and growth.

As the 2018 Tree Canopy Study presents findings only, there are limitations to the extent that a cause-and-effect relationship can be established at this time. City staff will continue to review the findings, analyze both positive and negative trends, and use these to inform ongoing urban forestry program planning through relevant City strategies and initiatives, and operational management adjustments including the strategic allocation of resources through revisions to the Urban Forestry Service Plan.