If you have opinions about the state of parks and green spaces in Waterloo Region, now is the time to share them. The Region of Waterloo is conducting its first-ever urban forestry management plan survey, giving the public an opportunity to provide feedback on the management of local green spaces.
The survey aims to understand which green spaces people use and the public’s views on the tree canopy and invasive species management practices to help shape the future of urban forestry.
“The purpose of this urban forest management plan is to identify gaps in how we manage our green assets, so it’s not just trees, it’s everything that falls under the urban forest category,” said Brydon Rayner, the region’s supervisor of forestry and horticulture operations.
“Right now, we’re really just trying to identify the gaps and then understand what we can do to fill those gaps.”
Anyone can access the survey through the Engage Waterloo Region’s website. Also on the website, the public can post questions to forestry and horticulture operations, where Rayner will review them.
The urban forest management plan will create a clear inventory of the region’s green spaces and set out practical ways to manage them. One part of developing this plan is taking the time to create a clear inventory of which trees are currently in the region and where they are. Then there will be a canopy analysis encompassing the entire region, classifying each area and mapping out where exactly the trees are.
“That is for all the urban trees in the three cities, and then as well as the towns throughout the townships. The purpose of that is to identify what trees we have, the species, the size, the condition, and where they’re at, so we can have at an accurate inventory, so then we can read into that and figure out what condition the overall canopy is in,” Rayner explained.
“From a risk management point of view, we can say, ‘OK, we need to manage these trees here,’ or ‘these trees are dying in this area, why and how can we support them?’”
The final report and recommendations for the management plan will be created after the survey closes. There is no official date for wrapping up the input phase, but Rayner suggests it will likely be sometime in June.
Local groups, such as Trees for Woolwich, are happy to see the region take the management of local green spaces seriously.
“I think the survey is a good idea in the sense that it engages people with their surroundings,” said Inga Rinne, chair of Trees for Woolwich.
It’s easy to walk by trees and parks and not give too much thought to their condition, how they are managed, and their purpose. The survey gets people to consider how they interact with the region’s green spaces.
“Don’t get me wrong, I’m no better than anyone else in that regard. The mere fact that it takes management is kind of news to some people; they just think that nature just happens,” said Rinne.
She added that often, with trees, people focus on the fun part, the planting, while the required upkeep and maintenance afterwards is neglected.
“I think it’s pretty clear that in terms of urban forest management, there’s more maintenance required than people have really thought about, and we’re just discovering with our own trees that we’ve planted. Planting is very exciting, and everyone gets excited about going out to plant trees. It’s very satisfying, but what comes after is actually the more important part, the whole part of keeping them alive,” said Rinne.
In the new forestry management plan, she hopes to see a greater focus on the realistic management of green spaces.
“People have always been reluctant to spend money on that. It always seems to be the last thing on the list,” said Rinne.
“Maybe this plan will have some provision for raising the awareness of the benefits that that environment creates, it’s not just pretty, it’s not just an aesthetic thing. There are a whole bunch of other benefits to those green spaces, and to really get people to understand those benefits and why it is that resources need to be allocated to them, is I think a big part of this management plan.”
Another important change Rinne wants is for the region to recognize the inherent value and contributions of trees by listing them as assets.
“Trees are one of the only assets that municipalities have that actually increase in value with time, every time you pave a road or build a community centre, or all of the other what we call grey infrastructure, so the calculation is only at what rate do we need to depreciate this, and trees for a long time actually increase in value,” said Rinne.
While the value of trees doesn’t increase infinitely – they are living things – Rinne stresses that their value increases over several years.
“So, recognizing the value that there is until that kind of makes it onto the ledger, it doesn’t get the attention that it should, so quantifying the asset is another thing that I think could be a major outcome of this forest management study,” she said, adding that she is also hoping for better coordination between jurisdictions in the future.
The increase in development makes it more difficult to provide green space and trees in densely populated urban areas, such as downtown Kitchener. Depending on where you live, getting to a green space might be inaccessible.
The issue of balancing densification and green space is a topic already on the region’s radar.
“I think one of the biggest constraints we’re seeing in relation to trees and green assets is the densification all throughout the region, like expanding roadways and housing,” said Rayner.
“We’re in a [housing] crisis, so we have to get the housing in, so it’s finding ways to incorporate these green assets, trees being one of them, into the picture, right into the design. So, they’re being considered at the front of the project, not an afterthought.”
To participate in the survey, visit www.engagewr.ca/urban-forestry-management-plan.
