Green Infrastructure Asset Management in York, Ontario. Matthew Rodwell Karen Robichaud

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1 Green Infrastructure Asset Management in York, Ontario Matthew Rodwell Karen Robichaud

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3 Ontario: pop. 13.5m (38%) Region of York: pop. 1.11m

4 Regulation: O. Reg. 588/17 regulates asset management planning for municipal infrastructure: Every municipality shall prepare a strategic asset management policy Every municipality shall prepare an asset management plan in respect of its municipal infrastructure assets

5 The municipality must consider, as part of its asset management planning: 1. the actions that may be required to address the vulnerabilities that may be caused by climate change in respect of such matters as, A. operations, such as increased maintenance schedules, B. levels of service, and C. lifecycle management, 2. the anticipated costs that could arise from the vulnerabilities 3. adaptation actions to manage the vulnerabilities 4. mitigation approaches to climate change, such as greenhouse gas emission reduction goals and targets

6 Project Goals Recognize and communicate the benefits provided by Green Infrastructure Develop a systematic management approach to provide benefits over the long term Provide a defensible case for investment

7 Asset portfolio Urban Forest Biological street trees, shrubs, perennials and growing media Civil soil cells and irrigation systems, drainage York Regional Forest Biological vegetation communities (forests, wetlands, prairies) Civil trails, parking lots, fences, signs, culverts, etc.

8 Levels of Service & KPIs Service Area Urban Forest Regional Forest Levels of Service (What do Customers Want?) Landscape streets as community spaces High % trees become very large to maximize ecosystem benefits Trees to be reliable & available Sustainably managed Ecosystem benefits Recreational and educational opportunities Preservation of native species Performance Measures % available space occupied by street trees Average age and DBH Species diversity Health of street tree and landscape plantings Ecosystem benefits including canopy cover Forest area per capita Area of sensitive habitat protected % stands regenerating to native species Ecosystem benefits % conformance to FSC certification Access, e.g. parking / tract, km trail / tract

9 Evaluation Approach PORTFOLIO ASSET VALUATION GROWTH MODEL ECOSYSTEM SERVICES REGIONAL FOREST STREET TREES Current stumpage value (commercial timber value) Total cost of restoring a stand to similar maturity and regenerative health following a total loss (e.g. through Emerald Ash Borer infestation or fire). Trunk Formula Method (an international valuation approach which accounts for the tree size, health condition, location and species) Evolve each forest compartment through growth cycles (rates of tree growth, mortality, regeneration and risk events) and transitions (a compartment transitions from its current forest type to a desired type, through management strategies). Qualify characteristics over the planning horizon (asset value, composition, size and health). Evolve individual street trees through their lifecycle Qualify characteristics over the planning horizon (asset value, composition, size and health). Outputs from the growth models were used as inputs to the i-tree model to quantify ecosystem service benefits over the planning horizon including: Carbon storage (kilograms, $) Carbon sequestration (kilograms /year, $) Avoided rainwater runoff (cubic meters/year, $) Pollution removal (grams/year, $)

10 FORECAST i-tree (Eco) Ecosystem attributes Species DB Asset Inventory (trees / stands) & Condition Carbon Air quality Avoided runoff Energy effects Locality DB (City Info) Pollution Data Climate Data

11 Ecosystem GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVES Services Service Urban Forest Regional Forest Total Carbon Stored (t) 5, , ,400 Carbon Sequestered (t/yr) Runoff Avoided (m 3 /yr) Pollution Captured (t/yr) Average Annual Value of Benefits 340 7,360 7,700 44, , , $298,000 $4,680,000 $4,978,000 GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE REDUCES Valuation $M 423 $M 60 $M 483

12 Ecosystem service value ($ millions/year) Management 6.5 Strategies Opportunity to document practices in a single source Provided single source of costing information Meaningful review of impacts and expected growth in programs Period (5-years) No silviculture Intensive silviculture Conservative silviculture

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16 Key Learnings 1. Managing street trees to maximise tree number, and age (benefits increase exponentially with trunk diameter). The benefits of investing in long term root/soil conditions significantly outweighs the cost 2. Managing diversity in the tree population is important for reducing the impact of pests and disease 3. The cost of providing planters is v.high compared to other greening methods 4. Clear policy mandate and strategic direction for climate adaptation and mitigation is vital for promoting use and management of natural assets GAPS measuring urban forest benefits related to health and wellbeing, crime, social cohesion, transport mode shift, tourism, etc.

17 Opportunities? 1. Knowledge sharing and application 2. Quantifying other benefits 3. Collaboration with other specialists 4. Concept of utility corridor in roads for GI and root systems.

18 Questions? Matthew Rodwell ; Karen Robichaud ;