The City has launched the Engage Ottawa site for the Tree Planting Strategy and the first consultation piece, a survey on tree planting programs.
What is the Tree Planting Strategy?
The Tree Planting Strategy is the feature project of Ottawa’s Urban Forest Management Plan for this term of Council. The strategy will focus on how Ottawa will achieve its urban canopy cover target of 40% over time. It will shift the City’s tree planting approach from reactive to proactive. It will use a neighbourhood lens and the City’s canopy cover data to prioritize tree planting in areas of Ottawa that need trees the most. It will take an equity approach by looking at socio-economic data, as well as public health data, such as urban heat island mapping, to prioritize tree planting efforts.
The First Step: Review existing tree planting programs through the Survey
The first action under the Tree Planting Strategy is to review the City’s existing tree planting programs. The first consultation is a survey to gather public feedback on the existing tree planting programs and ideas for future programming. The survey will also include more detailed questions on the Commemorative Tree Program because staff are looking to improve the program as an early action item under the Tree Planting Strategy. The survey will be available until April 15, 2024.
You can find the Survey here: Tree Planting Strategy | Engage Ottawa
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What Happens Next?
Over the next year, several surveys on other City tree planting programs will be rolled out to gather more feedback. Staff will also work with colleagues in the Community and Social Services Department to roll out the survey in the City’s priority neighbourhoods using the established youth ambassadors’ program and other community leaders. Information from this survey, and the others that will follow, will be used to evaluate existing tree planting programs, make improvements, and to develop new programs.
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