DATE: May 19, 2009 REPORT NO. EN CHAIR AND MEMBERS COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE OPERATIONS AND ADMINISTRATION

Transcription

1 DATE: May 19, 2009 REPORT NO. EN TO: FROM: CHAIR AND MEMBERS COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE OPERATIONS AND ADMINISTRATION SANDRA LAWSON, P.ENG., GENERAL MANAGER, ENGINEERING & OPERATIONAL SERVICES 1.0 TYPE OF REPORT: CONSENT ITEM [ ] ITEM FOR CONSIDERATION [ X ] 2.0 TOPIC: Tree Canopy Cover Background, Current State, and the Road Ahead 3.0 RECOMMENDATION THAT Report No. EN regarding preservation and improvement of Brantford s urban forest canopy cover, BE RECEIVED. 4.0 PURPOSE: To inform Council of the current state and challenges in preserving and increasing Brantford s urban forest canopy cover. 5.0 BACKGROUND: Canopy cover measurements are a new trend in urban forest management. Over the last 10 years, many cities world-wide have studied their urban forests to record changes over time and to communicate the ecological services provided by urban trees. Canopy cover is one attribute that is frequently measured. It is a very basic but easily understood concept; it is a bird s eye view showing the trees covering lands, buildings and other features. In April 2008, the GRCA released their latest measurements of forest cover for the watershed, including a report entitled: Brantford Tree Canopy Estimate Summary Report. This report summarized a limited analysis of Brantford forest cover using satellite imagery from It is important to distinguish that the title of the report is misleading; the methodology used was intended to capture large stands of trees 1 hectare or larger, not individual trees, nor narrow rows of trees,

2 Date: May 19, 2009 Page 2 nor stands of conifer trees. These limitations severely restrict the accuracy of the final output number of 15-19%. It is also important to note that this research was not verified through ground measurements, so it is an estimate without any concrete verification. Following the release of this information, this matter was raised at an EPAC Meeting and presented to Council on October 20, CORPORATE POLICY CONTEXT: City of Brantford Community Strategic Plan Goal 3: Managed Growth and Environmental Leadership Parks and Recreation Master Plan Parks Stewardship recommendations Urban Forest core service 7.0 INPUT FROM OTHER SOURCES: Staff continue to monitor updates and new information regarding urban forestry planning and management through regional networks such as the Canadian Urban Forest Network, the Municipal Arborist and Urban Forestry network, and the US Forest Service Urban and Community Forestry groups. During the winter of , the Environmental Policy and Advisory Committee (EPAC) developed a draft Tree Canopy Policy to assist in the promotion and maintenance of Brantford s tree canopy. This topic was presented to City Council on October 20, This policy requires further review before it can be adopted. A copy of this report was also ed to the Environmental Policy Advisory Committee for discussion at their next meeting scheduled on Thursday, May 14, The Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA) released A Watershed Forest Plan for the Grand River in 2004 including general guidelines for maintaining and improving forest cover throughout the watershed. The American Forests website includes general recommendations for goal setting in tree canopy management. This is where the 40% canopy cover value originates. However the goals only provide general guidelines: Each community must measure their current canopy cover and then develop tree cover targets based on their unique mix of climate, geography, land cover, and land use patterns (American Forests, 2008). This statement is much more critical than the 40% average canopy cover number. Staff have reviewed urban forest plans from Guelph ON, Oakville ON, Thunder Bay ON, Calgary AB, Victoria BC, Baltimore MD, Chesapeake Bay MD, Portland OR, Providence RI, Milwaukee WI, the Georgia Model Urban Forest Book, and others.

3 Date: May 19, 2009 Page ANALYSIS: Analyzing The Urban Forest Urban Forest Analysis requires a clear understanding of the definition of urban forests. The urban forest is much more than trees in parks, woodlots and trails. It includes all public and private trees, both individual trees and groups of trees throughout the entire city. Urban Forest Structure, Function, & Value There are three major components when measuring urban forests: Structure, Function, and Value. Structure measures physical components including tree height, trunk diameter, tree density, tree species, and other quantifiable features. Function measures the impacts that trees have on the surrounding area such as shading, air & water purification, sound attenuation, carbon sequestration, and many others. Value measures the importance of each function using monetary and other qualitative values such as social well-being. Canopy cover measurements fall under the first category: Structure. Canopy measurements only give a basic statement of the vertical projection of the tree canopy over the ground. The only functional measurement that can be derived from canopy cover is shading; the area under the tree canopy is roughly equivalent to the shade produced by the tree. Shade is an important function of tree canopy, but planning and management decisions should not be based solely on such a limited measurement of urban forest structure. It is critical that base planning and forest management decisions promote the attributes that will provide the highest value to the community. The City needs to implement urban forest assessment based on improving the values that are most important to the citizens of Brantford. If it is determined that shade and summer cooling are the most important value, then an implementation plan focusing on maximizing canopy cover will be appropriate. If water quality is deemed most important, then an implementation plan focusing on storm water infiltration and purification will have priority. Current Urban Forest Management Did you know Canopy cover is like taking a patient s temperature. Temperature does not tell the doctor if the patient is well or sick; the temperature is just one measurement to be used to determine the patient s health. Similarly, urban foresters cannot derive a plan of action from canopy cover measurements alone. Private & Public Land Urban forest management activity by the City is primarily limited to public property, with the clear exception of the Private Tree Bylaw ( ), new and in-fill development planning, and property standards. Trees on public property

4 Date: May 19, 2009 Page 4 receive varying management practices depending on the intended land use. For example, street trees receive periodic maintenance and inspection while trees in interior woodlands are not subject to management activities. Currently, each City department guides tree management and maintenance for properties and areas they manage. For example: Property Management manages the trees on their respective properties and Housing manages the trees on their respective properties. Parks and Recreation manages trees in boulevards, laneways, parks, trails, and woodlands under their jurisdiction. Parks and Recreation manages the largest proportion of treed area. The City has limited involvement with trees on private lands. Trees in designated woodlots and certain species are protected through the Private Tree Bylaw The Planning department controls the development process and guides tree preservation through new and in-fill approvals. Property Standards enforces tree safety on private property through property standards bylaws. Current Urban Forest Analysis Improving the canopy cover across the entire City of Brantford will require significant contributions on both private and public land. A large increase in tree canopy cannot be achieved using public land alone; currently 30% of land is publicly owned and 70% percent is private. While the City owns much parkland and woodland that contributes positively to canopy cover, a large proportion of city land is dedicated to roads and infrastructure that provides minimal space for tree planting. Staff currently have limited large-scale urban forest data. The GRCA has released two coarse data studies in 2004 and 2008 with final forest cover results of 17% and 15% respectively. In 2003 and 2005, Parks and Recreation created a computer based inventory of 60,000 boulevard trees. This greatly assists urban forestry operations in managing and tracking the boulevard trees health, maintenance requirements, and work history. Using the existing tree inventory, staff estimate that the boulevard trees of Brantford contribute 360 hectares of canopy cover. That results in 5% boulevard canopy cover over Brantford from street trees alone. This significant contribution provides 430 square feet of canopy cover per capita. At high noon during the summer, every citizen of Brantford has more than 400 square feet of shade to enjoy. Add to this all the City of Brantford woodlands, and the available shade increases dramatically. This shade calculation is encouraging, but it does not assist in making decisions for improving canopy. Summary statistics available through the GRCA canopy cover reports or from the City tree inventory are only useful for general benchmarking. In order to make planning decisions, comprehensive spatial information needs to be gathered.

5 Date: May 19, 2009 Page 5 Canopy Cover Distribution For the purpose of this report, City staff have done preliminary canopy cover analysis. In January of 2009, City geographic information staff (GIS) overlaid a 1-hectare grid over the entire City of Brantford. Staff then estimated the tree canopy cover using air photos for each cell in the grid. The result is a large scale map of the entire City indicating the relative tree canopy abundance (Figure 1). It is immediately clear that the tree canopy is high in natural areas along the river and moderate in mature neighbourhoods. Industrial, commercial, agricultural, and new development have low canopy cover. Figure 1: Percent Canopy Cover Distribution (0%-100%) This type of analysis is much more useful than generalized average figures. Figure 1 clearly illustrates the spatial distribution of canopy cover, a critical aspect in planning and management. The next steps in data analysis would be to compare canopy cover to land use. Land use comparison will show how current land use trends influence the canopy cover supported for each type. Residential areas tend to support much higher tree canopy levels than

6 Date: May 19, 2009 Page 6 commercial and industrial areas. However, new residential areas currently have very low canopy cover. Figure 2: Percent Canopy Cover: 0-30% red, % green Figure 2 illustrates the areas of Brantford that currently have less than 40% canopy cover, the average goal suggested by the American Forests. Ninety percent of Brantford has less than 40% canopy cover. Change Over Time The critical component that is missing in all analysis to date is change over time. Even though new residential areas currently have low canopy cover, the street trees have already been planted at maximum density and many young trees have been planted on private property. The low canopy cover in these areas is primarily an indication that the trees have not had the time to attain their mature size. In 40 years, many of these areas will have good canopy cover. Land use analysis will also highlight other valuable green space such as parks, golf courses, woodlots, open space, and cemeteries. Management decisions cannot be made based on current canopy measurements alone. Before we can advocate major change, we need to know how the urban forest will grow and change over time if current practices are continued.

7 Date: May 19, 2009 Page 7 There is a clear need for detailed urban forest analysis to study the structure, function, and value of the urban forest to make long-range planning and management decisions. First Steps As an important step, Parks and Recreation has retained Morrison Hershfield Limited to develop a Forest Management Plan for City-owned woodlands. The initial study area will be Waterworks Park, but the general forest management recommendations will be applicable to all City-owned woodland areas. This will provide a standardized context to guide the management and sustainability of the City of Brantford s woodlands. The Forest Management Plan will be completed by the end of The Road Ahead There are three primary models for urban forest management: Public Education model o Educate landowners on responsible planting, protection, and maintenance of trees Ownership model o Secure and maintain the future tree canopy by securing land into public ownership through purchase, conservation easements, etc. Regulation model o Impose restrictions on preservation and planting of trees in lands under private and public ownership Preserving the existing urban forest and increasing urban forest values will require balancing all three of these models. The City of Brantford primarily uses the Ownership and Regulation models to influence current urban forest management. It is unlikely that the city will use the Ownership model to realize significant improvements in urban forest cover; Public Education and Regulation will have the greatest effects. These two models will have the greatest effect on private property. Seventy percent of Brantford is privately owned; a clear majority of responsibility lies in the privately owned urban forest. Nonetheless, the City of Brantford can provide the leadership and guidance to meet urban forest growth goals. The Downtown Master Plan for Brantford includes ambitious tree recommendations; downtown areas can be the most challenging locations to maintain urban forests, but they have a significant impact in improving the urban landscape.

8 Date: May 19, 2009 Page 8 Action Items The following action items will provide foundation and focus to future urban forest management activities: Engage the public through public meetings and opinion survey to assess the community s desire in maintaining and improving the urban forest. This will be completed in coordination with the Site Alteration / Erosion & Sediment Control Bylaw Update referenced in report CD of May 11, o This will provide direction to which management models maximize benefits to the community: Public Education, Ownership, or Regulation Initiate an Urban Forest Study to comprehensively measure the Structure, Function, and Values attributed to the current urban forest. The Urban Forest Study will be repeated at a minimum interval of 10 years to measure urban forest change. o This will require studying and managing the urban forest as a continuous resource regardless of ownership boundaries 9.0 FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS: Public review of the existing Private Tree By-law will consider financial costs associated with different levels of tree protection and enforcement. Considering the challenging economic times, staff recommend initiating the Urban Forest Study in 2011 at an estimated cost of $60,000; this funding will be identified with the 2011 budget CONCLUSION: Improving the urban forest cover of Brantford will require studying and managing the urban forest as a continuous resource regardless of ownership boundaries. Seventy percent of Brantford is privately owned; therefore, the majority of responsibility rests with the citizens of Brantford. Public review of the Private Tree Bylaw will be completed in coordination with the Site Alteration / Erosion & Sediment Control Bylaw. Staff recommend initiating an Urban Forest Study in 2011 to comprehensively measure the structure, function, and values of the urban forest. Brian Geerts, Urban Forestry Technician Parks and Recreation Sandra Lawson, P.Eng., General Manager Engineering & Operational Services M. Sinclair, Director of Parks and Recreation

9 Date: May 19, 2009 Page 9 In adopting this report, is a by-law or agreement required? If so, it should be referenced in the recommendation section. By-law required [ ] yes [ x ] no Agreement(s) or other documents to be signed by Mayor and/or City Clerk [ ] yes [ x ] no Is the necessary by-law or agreement being sent concurrently to Council? [ ] yes [ x ] no