Eight neighbourhoods across Ottawa are in desperate need of urban tree canopy, according to a new tree equity analysis. Read MoreEight neighbourhoods across Ottawa are in desperate need of urban tree canopy, according to a new tree equity analysis.
Eight neighbourhoods across Ottawa are in desperate need of urban tree canopy, according to a new tree equity analysis.
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Eight neighbourhoods across Ottawa are in desperate need of urban tree canopy, according to a new tree equity analysis.
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According to a city memo, Ottawa’s overall tree canopy increased from 34 per cent to 36 per cent between 2017 and 2022.
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In rural areas, canopy cover rose from 36 per cent to 39 per cent. The city attributed this to the rapid growth of younger forests, natural regeneration and reforestation projects like the Green Acres program.
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But inside the urban boundary, the results were much more complicated. Canopy cover actually declined slightly from 21.5 per cent to 20.6 per cent from 2017 to 2022. Losses were most noticeable in developing suburbs where land is cleared for construction for housing and infrastructure projects, the city said, as well as severe weather and infill development.
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The Evening Citizen
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Some trees were also lost due to natural mortality, pests or homeowner choices, the memo noted.
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However, staff said the gradual growth of existing trees, reforestation projects and new plantings helped offset much of the loss in the city’s urban boundaries over the five-year period.
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This means the city is still short of its tree canopy goals identified in the Tree Planting Strategy, which was first approved in June 2023.
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“Ottawa’s long-term goal of 40 per cent urban tree canopy is achievable, but it faces challenges. Tree loss is immediate, while it can take decades for new plantings to make a visible impact,” the memo read.
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“With ongoing greenfield and infill development, urban canopy cover may remain flat, or even decline, for the next decade.”
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The city also identified eight neighbourhoods that urgently need more greenery in its “tree equity analysis.” The analysis assigns a score between 0 to 100 after calculating tree canopy cover with socioeconomic, demographic and health data from Statistics Canada.
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Only three out of 201 neighbourhoods across Ottawa’s urban areas had a perfect score of 100: Rockliffe Park, Wateridge Village at Rockliffe and Rothwell Heights.
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Eight neighbourhoods were considered priority areas:
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- Dalhousie-Rochester Heights (Somerset Ward)
- Centretown-Bank Street (Somerset Ward)
- East Industrial-Sheffield Glen-Russel Heights (Alta Vista Ward)
- Cummings-Cyrville (Beacon Hill-Cyrville Ward)
- Carlington Belleview-Lepage Caldwell (River Ward)
- Heron Gate and Heatherington (Gloucester-Southgate and Alta Vista wards)
- Bayshore (Bay Ward)
- Old Barrhaven East-Rodeo Drive (Barrhaven East Ward)