Last chance to weigh in on urban forest strategy

City ramping up efforts to reach elusive goal of 30 per cent coverage, up from current 21 per cent

Not to throw shade, but some Hamilton city wards are definitely less leafy than others.

A new map published as part of Hamilton’s draft urban forest strategy shows Ward 8 on the west Mountain has an estimated urban canopy of less than eight per cent compared to leafy urban Dundas (40 per cent) and lower-city Ward 1 (32 per cent).

The map is a bit misleading — not every ward is snuggled up against the green Dundas Valley or Cootes Paradise, for example.

But the overall message is clear: Hamilton’s beleaguered urban forest is barely twothirds of the way (21 per cent) to its longtime goal of 30 per cent canopy coverage — and that’s down slightly from 2006.

The good news is the city is preparing to adopt a longplanned strategy to grow its urban forest — and potentially provide more leafy legal protection for existing trees on private land.

If you like the sound of that — or not — take some time right now to tell the city because Friday marks the end of public feedback for the strategy. The report is available at engage.hamilton.ca/urban-forest-strategy.

“I do think a lot of people care about it,” said Environment Hamilton head Lynda Lukasik, whose group teamed up with the Hamilton Naturalists’ Club this month for a well-attended virtual session on the forest strategy.

“The map spurred so much discussion — which is exactly what we need.”

Lukasik said she would like to see a “more aggressive” goal for the strategy — like 45 per cent canopy coverage — as well as quick action on a private tree protection bylaw. Hamilton’s struggles with air pollution and flooding make it an “obvious candidate” for more urban tree cover, she argued.

The strategy contains dozens of recommendations. Some are simple, like spending more money on tree planting and advertising the city’s free street tree program.

Others are more controversial, like a city-wide tree bylaw to control cutting on private property.

The city will take public comments and put together final recommendations for council later this summer.