Opinion: Trees matter: Edmonton must protect them on private property

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On Oct. 29, the city’s urban planning committee will be discussing “Trees on Public and Private Property.” This is an urgent topic given the importance of trees to a city. Most cities in Canada have bylaws to protect trees on public and private property. Edmonton finally has a public tree-protection bylaw, which is why there is now fencing around boulevard trees during infill projects and city renewal work.

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But private trees still have no protection, which means that as our city densifies, lots are routinely clear-cut for redevelopment. Considering the high value of mature trees in cities, this loss undoes the ecological and economic gains of densification. Research shows how trees are particularly important in mitigating extreme weather. Trees not only provide shade, they also cool the city through transpiration. The loss of city trees can mean temperatures that are six to 12 degrees higher than in surrounding areas. Trees mean not only healthier outdoor temperatures for people walking and biking and working outdoors, kids playing, and wildlife, they also mean cooler indoor temperatures without the need for air conditioners, which use hydrofluorocarbon refrigerants and a lot of energy, and make the climate crisis worse. Trees also help to clean the air, prevent and mitigate both drought and flooding, and provide habitat for wildlife. Mature trees do exponentially more work in all these areas than small trees.

Toronto, Vancouver, Victoria and Montreal have all managed to densify while protecting their mature trees on public and private property with bylaws and public education campaigns to help citizens understand their importance. Both taxpayers and developers benefit financially from these campaigns, as trees do “ecosystems-services” work that saves millions of dollars for cities, and as people want to live in places with mature trees.

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In Victoria, which has mandated increased housing density, any tree on private land with a diameter of at least 30 centimetres is protected, and native species trees such as Garry oak, arbutus, and yew of smaller sizes are protected. Even hedges are protected. Victoria already has an urban canopy of nearly 29 per cent, and the city is now focusing on tree equity to ensure that everyone benefits from trees.

Montreal has a similar bylaw. It met its 2025 goal of 25-per-cent canopy a year early, and now is aiming for 26 per cent by 2026, and 40 per cent by 2050. Toronto is also aiming for 40 per cent by 2050. Edmonton is sitting at approximately 13-per-cent canopy, and its goal of 20 per cent by 2071 is shameful. Worse, there is little chance of achieving even that goal as the city’s focus on planting new trees is being countered by the enormous number of mature trees coming down across the city.

University of Alberta researchers Sandeep Agrawal and Nilusha Welegedara have found that between 1999 and 2020, Edmonton lost 15 per cent of its vegetation. Now that elms, which make up a significant portion of the city’s boulevard trees, are threatened, it is more important than ever to protect trees on private property.

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Cities with private tree bylaws are happy with their bylaws. A 2020 University of Waterloo report noted that “All municipalities with private tree bylaws stated that they were the most effective tool for protecting and managing trees on private property, simply because they are “an actual enforcement tool.” Bylaws force a pause and create awareness of the value of trees for everyone. This helps create a culture in which communities and developers want to preserve trees. The enforcement already in place in Edmonton for public trees could be expanded to private trees.

Trees matter. As Edmonton’s Urban Forest Management Plan states, “Edmonton’s trees represent an irreplaceable asset … . Unlike other municipal infrastructure, trees increase in value over time … . The urban forest … makes a quantifiable contribution to the long-term livability of our city.” As part of his 2021 election platform, Mayor Amarjeet Sohi said, “The natural environments in our city are not just beautiful; they are essential to our health, well-being and competitive advantage and we must take action to protect them.”

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It’s time for Edmonton to finally create a private tree-protection bylaw.

Kristine Kowalchuk is chair of the Edmonton River Valley Conservation Coalition.