Urban trees breathe life into our city
Trees are critical natural infrastructure for cities. They improve walkability and quality of place, provide shade and cooling, and help reduce noise, congestion and CO2 emissions. The social and ecological benefits of urban trees are many and is well-documented, and yet communities do not equally enjoy the benefits of urban trees.
The State of Calgary's Urban Tree Canopy
At 8% coverage, Calgary's urban tree canopy is amongst the lowest tree canopy coverage in Canada. While there are small pockets of tree-dense neighbourhoods, data shows that Calgary's tree canopy is disproportionately lower within low-income and BIPOC neighbourhoods.
Nature Canada's 2022 Tree Equity Report identifies barriers that contribute to these disparities including:
- Lack of funding;
- Absence of an integrated planning process that values urban trees;
- Poor incentives for planting trees on private land;
- Weak public engagement with those communities that need trees the most.
More Trees For All
Calgary Tree Equity seeks to equitably grow Calgary's urban tree canopy, with an emphasis on greening neighbourhoods that are disproportionately tree-less. The campaign is focused on four goals:
- Promote equitable tree planting across Calgary and ensure sufficient budget allocations to support these plantings
- Advocate for tree equity policies with Calgary City Council
- Connect with community groups to advance tree equity engagement
- Celebrate and strengthen community stewardship with existing mini-forests
Interested in supporting this campaign and working to grow Calgary's urban tree canopy? Email [email protected] for more information.