Here are a couple of events in support of good causes taking place next Wednesday, March 7.
What Trees Give Back
(Presented by LEAF (Local Enhancement and Appreciation of Forests) and the Ryerson University Department of Geography)
An evening of discussion with Dr. David Nowak of the United States Forest Service about the impacts of climate change on our cities and how urban forests can combat these threats while saving us money!
Wednesday March 7, 2007
7:00-9:00pm
Metro Hall, 55 John St, Toronto
Room 304
Suggested Donation: $5Our urban forests provide a multitude of benefits that both improve the environment and reduce costs to the City and individuals. Dr. Nowak, recipient of the American Forests Urban Forest Medal, has done the research to prove it. Over the past decade Dr. Nowak has measured the benefits of trees on urban climate, air quality, water quality, energy use and ultraviolet radiation throughout North America. His results are staggering. Trees remove hundreds of tonnes of pollution from the air each year and save cities millions of dollars by reducing demand for energy and decreasing the need for new infrastructure.
Yet when it comes to actively promoting and caring for our urban forests, Canada lags far behind the United States. Significant government funding to support urban forestry exists at both federal and state levels in the United States. Here in Canada, the sole responsibility for urban forests lies with cash-strapped municipalities.
A modest investment today in urban forest planning, tree planting, and tree care will result in healthier cities and significant cost savings for decades to come. Dr Nowak will review the findings of his research and suggest ways to get urban forestry on the agenda at both the provincial and federal levels. He will also introduce practical tools which communities can use to quantify the structure, condition and effects of their urban forest.
Alternatively …
Public Meeting regarding creating a bike lane on Leslie Street, with councillor Paula Fletcher. Wednesday, March 7, 6:30 pm. Bruce Jr. Public School, 51 Larchmount Ave.
Unrelated bonus …
The Regent Park revitalization project has set up a webcam so that you can follow its progress as a new community emerges from the ground.
top photo by Sam Javanrouh
3 comments
Good article with one problem. The bulk of the money being spent on urban foresty in the US is from municipalities and non-profits.
So as far as who spends what, the national government retains some UF money and passes the rest to the state forestry level and then the states retain some and put the rest out as grants to the local level (Usually for individual projects and creating a program… if the grant can be applied for multiple years, it reduces in value so the city or group must pick up 100% by say the third year), so it would be easy to double or triple count the federal money since it shows up on everybodys budget.
That being said I don’t know anywhere that spends near enough on UF.
Regardiing Paula Fletcher hosting a meeting to discuss a new bikelane on Leslie–where Isaac Morkel was killed last year.
Actually, some of us have argued this is a crucial–and missing–linkage in the city’s bikeplan, connectiing the Jones Ave and Dundas E. bike lanes, and the residential neighbourhoods north of the lake, with the Leslie St spit, the martin goodman, and the lakeshore bikepath. the situation on Leslie is going to get worse with the impending opening of a big box Canadian Tire store on Lakeshore blvd and the recent sale of property at eastern and Leslie to Walmart…
“Public Meeting regarding creating a bike lane on Leslie Street, with councillor Paula Fletcher. Wednesday, March 7, 6:30 pm. Bruce Jr. Public School, 51 Larchmount Ave.”
Fact is, Paula fletcher has come back to the community with a proposal for a two-block “traffic calming” bikelane on Eastern, but no willingness to touch leslie itself. The situation is complicated in that Leslie south of Queen marks the border with Sandra Bussin, and Bussin seems to have a car stuck up her driveway, so to speak.
But consider the situation on Leslie: Leslie carries under 800 cars per hour in either direction, at peak hours (760 cars/hour southbound pm peak, 615 cars/hour northbound pm peak). Davenport got bikelanes with 800 cars/hour. Dundas with bikelanes handles 1100 cars/hour at am peak) (all figures–toronto transportation services–2006 data).
It would be fantastic to have supporters at this meeting…Paula needs to hear from Toronto cyclists on this one!
Sandra is another question…
Bike lanes, no matter where they are, are good news, but let’s get our facts straight….Wal-mart does not own any property at Eastern and Leslie. SamrtCentres apparently does, but that does not necessarily mean a Wal-Mart will be built.