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Departments > Parks, Recreation and Community Development > Parks Division > Urban Forest Master Plan Victoria, the City of Gardens, lies nestled beneath a protective canopy of trees - our urban forest. An urban forest includes all of a community's trees, shrubs and groundcover, and the soils in which they grow. Parks, natural areas, boulevards and residential gardens are examples of some of the many and diverse treed areas that make up Victoria’s urban forest. The City of Victoria manages over 40,000 trees within its parks and boulevards and many of Victoria's street trees are nearing the end of their expected life cycle. The City is keeping close tabs on its valuable tree inventory to prevent property damage and injury. At the same time, it needs to think about how best to invest in and ensure Victoria's urban forest is healthy, safe and abundant in the future. The urban forest plays an important role in a community. In addition to their beauty, trees provide peaceful environments for citizens to enjoy. Trees protect people from the weather, provide privacy, buffer sounds, and create homes for wildlife. They also reduce energy bills by shading and cooling homes in summer. People often become personally attached to trees that they or loved ones have planted; and many trees are planted as living memorials. Victoria's urban forest has significant economic value. Trees and shrubs help increase real estate values of homes and encourage customers to linger and shop at local businesses. Trees also reduce stormwater runoff and filter air and water pollutants. And, by shading roads and parking lots, well-placed trees increase the life of asphalt. Victoria's trees also have a tremendous financial value. Each tree is estimated to be worth at least $2,000. This means the value of trees on City land is over $80 million, and much more when the value of trees on private lands is considered. The City recognizes the many benefits of Victoria's trees and is proactively looking at how it should proceed with investment and maintenance to prolong their life, ensure public safety, and plant young, healthy trees where older trees must be removed or are lost to storms. A fact sheet has been developed to explain what an urban forest is, its benefits, and some of the challenges that Victoria's urban forest faces in the future. The City has hired Gye and Associates Urban Forestry Consultants Ltd. to conduct a systematic review of Victoria's urban forest and develop an Urban Forest Master Plan. This plan will present strategies on how best to invest in and maintain Victoria's urban forest over the next 20 years and beyond. A steering committee, consisting of representatives from community associations, the development and design communities, environmental organizations, and the City of Victoria, is helping guide the process. Consultation with the community to date has helped inform the development of a draft Urban Forest Master Plan for Victoria. To view the draft plan, click here - [PDF 1.7MB]. Public Consultation The public's input is key to developing Victoria’s Urban Forest Master Plan. Two workshops held in January at City Hall, were well-attended and enabled the public to learn more about Victoria's urban forest and share their vision for its future. The executive summary and full public consultation report below outline community input from the two January workshops:
A public meeting was held on June 23, 2009 at City Hall to provide the community an opportunity to learn more about the draft plan and provide input. Below is a report on the public consultation held in June. Online Survey The online survey on the draft plan is now closed. Thank you to those who participated. Next Steps Public input and feedback from the steering committee and City staff will help finalize the plan that will be presented to City Council in the fall.
For more information on the development of Victoria's Urban Forest Master Plan, contact: David Speed
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