[CANUFNET] Cities that successfully increased tree canopy?

[Pierre Bélec]

Good morning Grace
Montréal is one. Since 2012, our action plan for the urban forest is focused on going from a 20% canopy cover to 25%. The target is 300 000 new trees to be planted before the end of 2025. So far City and partners under SOVERDI and the Urban Forest Alliance have managed to plant 130 000. The key to that performance is targeting non-municipal sites: residential, industrial, commercial, health care centres, schools, heritage and culture dedicated sites, where the non-for-profit associations are active. Together, they account for half of all new trees planted. All tree calibers are suited for city sites: 1,75m and up. Recent audit from city revealed an amazing 97% survival rate. Mainly attributed to a number of factors: follow-up contracts, planting protocoles and the fact that every person or organization receiving a tree pays at least a part of the cost. Program is subsidized by City, but citizen contributions and especially corporations have contributed since the beginning of the program. Their share is continually increasing and will probably top city’s contribution in the coming years. We now have a leaders committee with corporations involved in a 4 to 5 years plan and million dollars each commitments. CN’s involvement, through Tree Canada has been instrumental to that effect. Among the factors that seem to motivate corporations: City financial backing, the non-for-profit are centred on the task, never engage in political issues, keep focused on their target, keep prices low and have a high intensity collaboration among them, pay attention to the wider city landscape, are not afraid of large projects and involve a diversity of professionals from biologists to arborists and landscape architects. They also involve the corporations own employees in participatory planting of schools, community housing sites and health care centres. An aspect which is often cited to by HR specialists as the best continuing education and employee professional development scheme.  
Pierre Bélec, member of Board, Soverdi and Tree Canada.
   
Le 2019-12-13 à 04:44, Grace Golightly via CANUFNET <canufnet at list.web.net> a écrit :

> Do you know of any cities (anywhere) that have managed to increase their tree canopy? 
> 
> I understand that Oakville, ON has, and perhaps Melbourne, Australia.
> 
> Do you know of any others? I would appreciate hearing about them.
> 
> Many thanks,
> Grace Golightly