Calgary continues efforts to plant nearly a million trees, and better balance local canopy
The city intends to plant 930,000 new trees by 2029
After a major influx of federal dollars last fall, Calgary's efforts to plant more trees continues this spring.
Since 2023, Calgary has planted 200,000 trees as part of an effort to introduce 930,000 in total by 2029. Looking further ahead, Calgary, a city of roughly seven million trees, aims to nearly double its urban canopy coverage from 8.25 per cent, as measured in 2022, to 16 per cent by 2060.
The local effort was bolstered by nearly $61 million from the federal government last fall. The funding is part of Canada's 2 Billion Trees program, a national effort to improve urban spaces, provide cleaner air and help the country adapt to climate change.
But where Calgary's new trees will go is a pressing question surrounding this project.
Many of the more well-established and central Calgary neighbourhoods have more trees. But Calgary's canopy often grows more sparse in neighbourhoods further from the city's core, in areas that weren't developed with trees in mind or have poorer soil quality.
The disparity creates a problem for residents who miss out on benefits like trees that offer shade to mitigate heat in the summer and disrupt winds to protect from the cold in the winter, while also more effectively managing storm water, improving biodiversity, and enhancing social and mental wellbeing.
Paul Atkinson, the city's acting urban forestry lead, said Calgary tries to tackle this disparity by targeting areas with less trees per hectare of public land, but it's not always a simple fix. Some areas need soil rehabilitation, which can be expensive, while other neighbourhoods weren't developed with enough space for trees, based on street design and where utilities were installed.
"If you take that bird's eye view and look at some of these sites, they might look like ideal spots to plant a tree, but they might actually have high-pressure gas lines or utilities or street light cables or all these things underground," Atkinson said in an interview with This Is Calgary.
LISTEN | Where will Calgary plant nearly a million trees?
A map of the city's urban canopy shows neighbourhoods like Eau Claire, Erlton and Garrison Green have more than 25 city-maintained trees per hectare. But other neighbourhoods like Franklin, Sunridge and Mayland have less than five.
The city's efforts don't just end on public land though, as its Branching Out program offers roughly 5,000 trees per year for residents to grow on their land, with quadrants covered by less canopy given priority.
Frustrations over a more sparse canopy
But some parts of the city want a stronger effort to balance the scales between trees in each neighbourhood.
Much of Ward 5, which is represented by Coun. Raj Dhaliwal, has an urban canopy far below the city's average. In November, Dhaliwal said he planned to call for a sizeable amount of the federal funding toward new trees to be used in his ward.
Saddle Ridge is one neighbourhood with less coverage, boasting just eight city-maintained trees per hectare.
Asim Baig, president of the Saddle Ridge Community Association, points out parts of his neighbourhood feel barren, with no trees at all or older plants damaged by hailstorms. He said he often hears frustration from other residents, because it seems as though trees damaged by hail aren't replaced at a rate matching the damage.
"Every time we push for having more trees around our boulevards and parks, the reason that we hear is that soil is not as good as the other communities. And our frustration is that there has to be some sort of remedy to mitigate this problem," Baig said.
Baig added that caring for trees has also had an effect to unite residents who share a passion for it, and that the neighbourhood on the whole wants to see more trees.
"[Trees] add a sense of belonging," Baig said.
"It's not even [just] better for environment, but people come together."
Planning planting ahead
Atkinson said soil quality, depth and availability can all be improved, and the benefits of better soil health, carbon sequestration below ground and tree longevity outweigh the associated cost. But it's still an expensive process, and can lead to some resistance.
"When you're dealing with trees and convincing people if we enhance the soil it'll save us money over 200 years and it will produce a canopy over 200 years, it's a pretty tough sell because I won't be here in 200 years to find out if we're all correct," Atkinson said.
The city plans its canopy development roughly a year out, and it's using other methods to put more trees in the ground like new micro-forest areas. It's planting potted trees that, because they need to be carefully dug into the ground by hand, can be installed closer to some underground utilities.
In some neighbourhoods, Atkinson says they've already put in the work in all of the available plantable area, the canopy just needs time to grow. In other cases, there's more work to be done.
"We want people to have access to trees. We want every citizen to have these cost-effective solutions to mitigate heat and all these things around residences," Atkinson said.
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With files from This Is Calgary