Saving the urban forest

As Spacing gets set to release a green issue our editors are paying a little more attention to articles in the media about local environment issues. Today, Spacing’s “Green Space” columnist Todd Irvine had his urban forest manifesto re-printed in the Toronto Star.

He brings up some interesting points in the essay, such as: the monetary value of the urban forest (roughly $2-billion in Toronto), how trees can relieve the stress on our sewer system, and how to keep invasive species out of the ravine system.

But his most important point, I feel, is that the City needs to “set up an urban forestry task force that will develop a plan, characterized by clear objectives and measurable outcomes, for how to care for new and existing trees. It should invest the resources to train citizens to care for their own trees and those on public property: we need to get water hoses into people’s hands. Facilitating citizen responsibility for the health of trees ensures they are cared for and have vocal proponents for their protection.”

 photo by Sam Javanrouh