The City of Victoria just announced its participation in the UN’s Trees for Cities Challenge.
Since its inception a year ago, Community Trees Matter Network, in partnership with CreativelyUnited.org, has been working to raise awareness of the vital importance of trees. One of our biggest concerns is climate change, and we know trees are one of the world’s best tools to lessen its impact.
The UN’s Trees in Cities Challenge is focused on mitigating climate change.
As their website says, “it is increasingly recognized that cities are at the forefront of the battle against climate change, at the same time being most vulnerable to its effects, but also embodying the potential to counter it.”
So we are very excited that our city has been invited to be a leader in this challenge. At a time when urban forests are rapidly diminishing, the City of Victoria this year made a commitment to expanding and protecting ours, by adding $1 million to the Parks budget. It also committed $850,000 annually going forward.
Since three-quarters of the urban forest is on private property, however, we will have to rely on the enthusiasm of residents to join in and plant trees.
Like many other urban centres, we have certainly lost canopy over recent years. A LIDAR scan was completed recently, and we will soon hear the results. It is very heartening and timely to have this commitment to plant 5,000 trees by the end of 2020.
When we understand how very much trees do for us, we understand that the presence of trees benefits both our physical and mental health. Due to their value as ‘green infrastructure’ they also benefit our city’s economic health. And recent studies have shown that planting trees – and preventing deforestation – is one of the world’s best tools to mitigate climate change.
Since large trees far more efficiently benefit our health, and sequester much more carbon than saplings are able to, we are also happy to see the City taking steps to better protect our hard-working mature trees.
Community Trees Matter Network will do all we can to spread the word and encourage people to plant as many trees as possible. Planting season is coming up soon – late fall is a great time to plant trees in Victoria!
There is a new local organization that is encouraging people to sign up to plant trees this fall. Check out www.Plant for the Planet.ca.
We are thrilled to see our city step up as a leader in expanding and protecting its urban forest.
Community Trees Matter Network, in partnership with CreativelyUnited.org, is hosting two free public events about trees and tree planting. Both will be held at the Church of Truth, 111 Superior St:
Garry Oak Trees and Their Habitat: How We Can Help Endangered Ecosystems Transition to Recovery
Wednesday, September 25, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Planting Trees Properly with municipal arborist Ryan Senechal,
Wednesday, October 23, 7:15 pm – 8:30 pm
*For more information on the Trees for Cities Challenge, please see: https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/partnership/?p=32508