This Wednesday, join LEAF (Local Enhancement and Appreciation of Forests) and the Ryerson University Department of Geography for an evening of discussion with Dr. David Nowak about the impacts of climate change on our cities and how the urban forest can help combat these threats and save us money!
Here are the details:
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 save money. Dr. David Nowak, esteemed scientist with the United States Forest Service 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.
