Group pushes for faster action on growing city's tree canopy

Calgary Herald

2 days ago

More urgency is needed in expanding Calgary's tree canopy, a green cover that lags behind other Canadian cities, says an environmental group.
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While members of the Calgary Climate Hub say they're supportive of the city's efforts in adding trees to its leafy inventory, it should be moving faster and in a more even-handed way.
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The city's northeast and downtown need to catch up to the rest of Calgary in its green numbers, said Heather Addy, a volunteer with the group, who notes the city has set a goal of doubling its canopy from the current 8 per cent coverage of city land by 2060.
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'The northeast has a much lower tree canopy, it's below 8 per cent — some of those are new communities but some are not,' said Addy, a University of Calgary professor emeritus in bioscience.
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'And the downtown needs more trees — there's not much for people who work there but also for those who live there and it's hot during the summer.'
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Last November, the city announced it will receive nearly $61 million from the federal government's 2 Billion Trees (2BT) program — a 2019 election promise from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to plant an additional two billion trees across Canada within a decade.
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The funding will allow for 930,000 new trees to be planted across Calgary over the next five years, which the city said will help expand its overall urban forest canopy and provide equitable access for all residents.
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Addy said the city's goal of 16 per cent trees coverage over land it owns should be nearly double that, a standard that's been met or sought by other Canadian centres and even more trees will be needed to replace those that die from drought or disease.
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'It's really something for Calgarians to come together on,' said Addy.