St. Catharines considers cutting objective for a larger urban forest despite pledge to plant 100,000 trees

“The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago, the second best time is now.”

So stated a presentation by St. Catharines staff during a Special Council meeting this past April dedicated to discussion on how the city should manage the trees and greenspaces within its borders. The City knows it needs to get trees in the ground, and fast, but questions linger about where they should go, how they will be maintained, and how much it will cost. 

On Monday, August 12th, council will receive a staff report suggesting a previously approved goal of planting 100,000 trees may not be achievable. It is also recommending the City reduce its ambitious goal of expanding the urban tree canopy coverage from 30 percent across St. Catharines to 25. 

Monday’s report is the latest in a long line of studies going back almost 20 years, all with the common goal of finding the best method to boost the city’s urban tree canopy.  The green umbrella is a crucial asset for municipalities in the fight against climate change as it helps reduce heat, prevent flooding, and stores planet-warming carbon emissions. 

In 2009, with the municipality lacking a strategy, council passed a motion asking staff for recommendations for preserving and managing the urban tree canopy within St. Catharines. The following year, two public information sessions and an on-line survey were conducted, culminating in an Urban Forestry Management Plan (UFMP). 

In 2011, the municipality’s urban canopy coverage was between 15 and 17 percent—well below the 30 percent coverage recommended by experts. The average age of the St. Catharines urban forest was 15 to 20 years older than it should ideally have been, and from the mid 1960’s through to the mid 1980’s, as few as 50 trees were planted on municipal boulevards annually. 

The UFMP made 14 recommendations, including planting 1,000 boulevard trees annually and an additional 300 trees on other public lands; facilitating 700 trees to be planted on private property; adopting an aggressive tree replacement policy for any trees that had to be removed; conducting threat evaluations to optimize the health and longevity of the city’s urban forest; developing a private property tree bylaw to govern the removal of specific trees on private property and—perhaps most importantly—providing the necessary funding to meet the goals of the UFMP.

A subsequent Private and Public Tree Management plan was delivered to council in 2017 and noted that despite the municipality’s best efforts, the urban canopy had actually been reduced due to the impact of the Emerald Ash Borer. The invasive wood-boring beetle decimated ash trees throughout North America. The report recommended further exploration of the 2011 recommendations that had not been acted upon, such as the private property tree bylaw, creating community stewardship and education programs and the implementation of a pilot project to make trees available to the public at reduced rates.

In 2022, Ward 3 (St. Georges) Councillor Kevin Townsend introduced a motion directing staff to develop a workplan that would facilitate the planting of 100,000 trees over the course of 10 years, which would help reach a tree canopy goal of 30 percent coverage by 2030.

The 30 percent urban tree canopy goal is in keeping with the minimum standard recommended by the International Society of Arboriculture and adopted by the Niagara Region. Nature Canada, the member-based environmental organization, promotes the 3-30-300 rule, which recommends everyone should be able to see at least three trees from their home, that all neighbourhoods within a municipality should have at least a 30 percent tree canopy, and all residents should have a greenspace of at least one hectare within 300 metres of where they live. 

The benefits of more trees within municipalities, as per Nature Canada, are more liveable, healthy and resilient cities. Trees sequester and store carbon, keep cities cool by mitigating urban heat islands, serve as habitat for many species and shield the population from extreme weather events like floods and landslides. The presence of trees has also been associated with supporting mental and physical wellbeing. 

A 2021 study by conservation organization Nature United noted that planting trees in cities, along with replanting formerly forested land or bringing back natural flows to wetlands and coasts will increase carbon capture; support construction, engineering and conservation jobs in the short term and deliver strong mitigation and habitat benefits in the long term. The study, however, found that such actions would only account for about five percent of the mitigated greenhouse gas emissions compared to various other “pathways” to reducing emissions.

Councillor Townsend’s motion was piggybacking on the federal government’s 2022 pledge to plant two billion trees by 2030.  At the council meeting where the motion was considered, Townsend admitted it was an ambitious goal, but one that he saw as achievable. Townsend also wanted to ensure the municipality got its “fair share” of the $3.2 billion promised by the federal government in association with the tree pledge.

Despite the good intentions of Townsend’s motion, some challenges were noted, such as where the City would plant the 100,000 trees, who was going to be planting the high volume of trees and that it would not just be a matter of planting the trees, but maintaining them to ensure their viability.

Former councillor Karrie Porter raised the need for “metrics”, such as whether there was staff capacity to undertake such a program, did the municipality have a realistic gauge on the existing tree inventory, how long would it take to achieve the 30 percent canopy target and, most importantly, what would be the budget impacts.  

Although he ultimately seconded Councillor Townsend’s motion, Ward 1 Councillor Greg Miller questioned where the 100,000 number came from and whether it was realistic based on the municipality’s capabilities.

“I hope staff will be realistic (in any future reports). We do not want to over promise and under deliver,” Councillor Miller commented.

Miller also noted that despite the substantiveness of the promise by the federal government, little of the pledge had been delivered to that point. He concluded that such promises “make people cynical.”

Increasing the tree canopy in St. Catharines will take not only planting more trees, but planning and budgeting for the necessary staffing and hours to maintain the trees to ensure their survival.

(City of St. Catharines)

When staff was questioned on current tree plantings, it was noted that the municipality was rooting up to 2,400 trees on public property annually and giving away 1,000 trees per year for private plantings. Despite the number being approximately a third of the 10,000 a year that would be required, then mayor Walter Sendzik concluded that Councillor Townsend’s goal “may be attainable.”

Fifteen months later, City staff expressed doubt that 100,000 tree plantings in ten years was attainable. 

The information report noted that to achieve the goal, 60 percent of the plantings would have to be undertaken through community and local partnerships and despite reducing the tree mortality rate to six percent a year, it could be expected that 600 additional trees would have be planted annually. This created potential issues with available local nursery stock and it was unlikely that one vendor could provide the annual needed supply. City staff also made it clear more full-time workers would be required to source possible locations to plant the volume of trees and there would be an operational impact due to the necessity of inspecting, monitoring and pruning of the new plantings.

Councillor Townsend, the architect of the 100,000 trees motion, was disappointed and critical that no progress had been made in securing additional community partnerships, suggesting outreach to schools and post-secondary institutions like Brock University and Niagara College. The councillor also indicated that he expected a firm plan in place from staff, as opposed to “kicking the can down the road.”

For Councillor Miller, the staff report confirmed some of his skepticism from the outset. He felt that the 100,000 number had been “plucked out of thin air” and that it was not ever going to be feasible for the municipality, through either public or private endeavours, to increase their tree plantings four-fold. 

Councillor Townsend remained undaunted, noting “where there’s a will, there’s a way.” He moved a motion that the report be referred back to staff to investigate a strategy for working with partners on tree planting and to consult with the Environmental Stewardship Advisory Committee. His motion passed, with only Councillor Miller opposed, with Mayor Mat Siscoe absent.

Planning to increase the size of the tree canopy has been ongoing for decades, but the City has struggled to turn plans into concrete action.

(NPCA)

Later in 2023, council approved their 2023-2027 Strategic Plan, prominently featuring the Council’s commitment to protecting, preserving and enhancing the City’s tree canopy as a Strategic Direction, with a Tree Planting Strategy and related implementation as a “priority initiatives”.

Despite the noted strategic priorities, when Mayor Siscoe introduced his 2024 budget, the first under the so-called Strong Mayor Powers granted by the Province, his most noteworthy deviation from what had been proposed by staff was to eliminate the forestry section of the City’s Municipal Works department and contract out the service. 

The mayor’s proposal seemed at odds with the City’s own website which touted that the “Forestry Services department helps to nurture a healthier urban forest.” 

In defending his budget, the mayor pointed out that tree planting was already done by outside businesses and argued there would be no impact on the municipality’s efforts to increase the tree canopy. After hearing from nine delegates at a budget meeting opposed to the move, Ward 4 Councillor Caleb Ratzlaff introduced an amendment to the budget keeping the forestry services “in house” that met with unanimous approval.

The purpose of the April 2024 Special Meeting of Council was, in the words of Deputy Chief Administrative Officer Erin O'Hoski, an opportunity to make sure staff was “in line of sight” with council’s expectations when it came to tree management. 

The education session did allow staff to provide detail on the City’s Tree Management Program (TMP), confirming that on average 3,400 trees were planted a year through various City initiatives (boulevard plantings, the public tree giveaway, and community partnerships). Details were provided on community partnerships, maintenance and other proactive measures that had reduced tree mortality and had put the municipality’s tree coverage at 22.4 percent. (A February report at the Region’s Planning and Economic Development Committee put average tree canopy coverage across the Region at 25.4 percent, with St. Catharines ranked 8th out of the 12 area municipalities in Niagara.)

On the possibility of achieving a tree canopy coverage of 30 percent, staff were prepared with numbers, noting that 11 square kilometres of space was necessary. Staff concluded that even if every municipal park was turned into trees, the City would still be short by five percent. Achieving the 30 percent would require some ”creative thinking”, reiterating that partnerships and planting on private property would be necessary.

Staff made no explicit mention of Councillor Townsend’s 100,000 trees motion, which prompted him to question whether council’s previous direction related to his motion had been abandoned. Staff indicated that the purpose that evening was “how we got here” and that the possibility of 10,000 trees planted annually would be part of the “next” report.

Despite the assurance, upon the conclusion of the staff presentation and to guide council discussion, two questions were posed: “How might we establish a shared tree canopy target to achieve our strategic goals?” and what information had Council not heard that would help them “make an informed choice on a City tree canopy target”.

The only councillor, other than Townsend, to specifically address the tree canopy target was Ward 6 Councillor Carlos Garcia, who offered that since 30 percent was “accepted everywhere” than perhaps St. Catharines should aim for an even higher percentage. (Mayor Siscoe and Councillor Miller were absent from the special meeting.)

Monday’s report makes the recommendation that Council endorse a reduced tree canopy coverage goal of 25 percent “due to land constraints” and that lower target would be more realistic and achievable.

The report reiterates the limited availability of City-owned land for tree planting. Staff indicate they performed a detailed analysis which found the municipality only has three square kilometres of land for tree planting.  At the April meeting staff had indicated a higher percentage (5.5) of possibly available City-owned land. 

For the first time in any of the reports related to the tree canopy, staff highlight the trade-offs that would be necessary if the Council were to strictly adhere to the 30 percent tree canopy coverage goal.

The report notes there are “competing pressures” for land related to other municipal initiatives, such as the need to provide park amenities (playground equipment, playing fields, splash pads) and the possible need for land to implement the results of master plans such as the Recreation Facility and Programming Master Plan, Aquatics Facilities Strategy, and Sports Fields Strategy.

Another “trade off” noted in the report is the need for available land to fulfill council’s housing pledge of creating 11,000 units in 10 years. The report contends that should surplus vacant or underused City-owned land be identified, transferring those lands to the newly created Municipal Development Corporation to create housing units, is “the higher-order strategic priority at this time.” 

The report attempts to downplay the importance of the urban tree canopy coverage rationalizing that while trees and the tree canopy “provide immense value and contribute to the City’s sustainability goals” there are other indicators of healthy communities, noting the municipality’s “inward growth pattern” is creating a more compact and connected community compared to other municipalities that are experiencing sprawl. 

Staff also note that Ottawa was the highest ranking North American city with respect to environmental sustainability, in a study of top performing international cities, and because Ottawa only has an urban tree canopy coverage of 25 percent, the inference is that goal should be satisfactory for St. Catharines. The report does not note that seven other municipalities in Niagara exceed St. Catharines in tree and forest canopy, with Fort Erie achieving almost 35 percent coverage.

As for Councillor Townsend’s 100,000 trees over 10 years, staff claim that they are still in the process of investigating the possibility, but it will be the subject of another report. A review of the Environmental Stewardship Advisory Committee agendas since Townsend’s 2023 motion show no evidence that the Committee has been asked for comment on the 100,000 trees over ten years proposal.

In addition to more detail on the 100,000 trees plan, staff promise that the next report will outline the financial implications of whatever council decides Monday night, despite council seeming to have decided numerous times over the years that they wanted to achieve 30 percent urban tree coverage and the plantings of 100,000 trees over the next 10 years. 

In the meantime, the public can still refer to the 2011 Urban Forestry Management Plan on the City’s website, with its recommendations still pertinent many years later.  

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