Trees for Everyone !!!

The bulk of money for the environment will probably always go to big ticket items like the conservation (see related article). But after another long hot summer, the importance of sustaining and growing the urban forest is coming into stark perspective.

"We looked at parks systems across North America and we realized that with the increasing shortage of funds we needed to do something," remarks Leslie Coates, Executive Director of the brand new Toronto Parks and Trees Foundation. "This organization will help to increase the revenue base of what we can do in parks."

The Parks and Trees Foundation was granted charitable status back in April of last year. Since then it's launched two major initiatives, giving away $20,000 to 11 different organizations. "Each year we hope to increase that," she adds.

Coates says the need for her organization is underlined by the experience of public parks in the United States. When municipal support dropped off, "their parks got bad and then dangerous … That didn't happen here in Canada, but there's a lot less programming in those parks today."

Coates says the local parks department is taking care of business inside its pre-determined geographic areas. But due to their lack of resources, they're not looking to do anything extra.

Besides its mandate to increase park use, the Parks and Trees Foundation wants to act as a bridge between the parks department and community groups with an interest in local parks. The foundation receives office space and staffing support from the City, underlining its importance within the community. The relationship also helps ensure that the foundation's activities don't conflict or duplicate what the parks board is doing. "We think that split works extraordinarily well."

Coates says her foundation seeks to act as a "supplement or an enhancement" to the parks department's work and - in other cases - to undertake projects that wouldn't otherwise happen. They're also into, "the whole idea of horticulture and improved planning in the community."

Recently, the Parks and Trees Foundation worked with a pair of leading garden designers to redevelop a patch of space close to the City's St. Lawrence Market. Loblaws donated the plants and before you knew it they had "a really good public-private partnership" going.

It's Not Just About Planting Trees
One of the foundation's initial recipients was Local Enhancement & Appreciation of Forests (LEAF) which provides Toronto residents with an opportunity to participate in "urban forest stewardship," says Janet McKay, Program Director.

"We focus on a sector that is sort of neglected in a way and that is streets and private property." She adds that homeowners today own and control 80-90% of the urban forest.

The program LEAF is best known for is its tree planting service, which provides subsidized trees and professional planting advice to select homeowners. LEAF will help to plant between 400 to 500 trees around Toronto this year.

They'll also work with community groups wherever possible. McKay says her organization recently planted 40 trees with 60 local youths. Believing that young people learn more by doing, these initiatives help to educate and train kids in the finer nuances of the urban forest. "It's important to know how (trees) function to do a proper job planting."


BIG Picture: A budding number of organizations dedicated to the urban forest are springing up across Canada. They're a great outlet for corporations with an eye to local recognition - and for cash-strapped municipalities looking to offload some of their traditional responsibilities

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