Vancouver struggling to keep Trees in the face of development

Wendy Stueck

2017-03-01

Globe and Mail

Keywords: Urban Canopy, Tree Conservation, Vancouver, Development, Disease, Storms, Tree Planting Program, Urban Forest Strategy, Tree Removal Permit

The report also noted that while city regulations require replacement trees on a one-to-one basis in most circumstances, "replacement trees are sometimes poor quality and do not survive the first year. … It is estimated that 25 to 35 per cent of new replacement trees die or are removed within the year."

The article "Vancouver struggling to keep trees in the face of development" by Wendy Stueck in The Globe and Mail highlights the challenges Vancouver faces in maintaining its urban tree canopy. Despite efforts like a tree planting program, the city continues to lose trees due to development, disease, and storms. Vancouver's tree canopy declined from 22.5% to 18% between 1995 and 2013, with nearly 24,000 healthy trees removed on private property. To address this, the city amended its bylaw in 2014 to require a permit for removing large trees and aims to plant 150,000 new trees by 2020.

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Tags: Environmental Sustainability, Urban Forestry, Tree Conservation, Public Policy, Urban Development