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‘Shade equity’: Saanich looks to step up tree-planting game with 10K target

District staff to look into financial implications of increasing target per year
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Saanich is looking into increasing its tree-planting target from 2,000 to 10,000 trees a year after a report by a Vancouver-based environmental consulting firm gave its tree management program a “fair” rating. (Austin Westphal/News Staff)

The District of Saanich is looking into upping its tree-planting target to 10,000 trees a year after a report found the municipality has lagged when it comes to maintaining its urban canopy.

Council supported a motion last Monday (March 6) for staff to look into the cost of increasing its target, which currently sits at around 2,000 trees a year and eats up $290,000 of Saanich’s annual budget.

The State of the Urban Forest report by Vancouver-based Diamond Head Consulting said that while the district has improved on its Urban Forest Strategy, more work is still required.

Despite improvements to the strategy over the last decade, according to the report Saanich’s tree management program received a grade of just “fair.”

“We’re trying to reverse this trend that we’re currently on where we’re experiencing more tree loss than gain,” Mayor Dean Murdock told the Saanich News in an interview Friday (March 10).

“The major thrust behind tree planting up until now has been replacement trees … we want to not only step up our game in terms of tree protection and preservation – but also tree planting – so that we begin that effort towards reforestation, expanding the tree canopy and creating shade equity.”

Murdock said the report also highlighted that more than 50 per cent of trees planted in Saanich simply replace those removed for development. It also found that tree canopy cover within the district’s borders is unevenly distributed, creating what the mayor referred to as a “tree deficit” in several neighbourhoods.

In 2021, Saanich endorsed a 3-30-300 rule that says each home should be able to see at least three trees, all neighbourhoods should have at least 30 per cent canopy coverage and all homes should be within 300 metres of a park.

Only Rural Saanich, Cadboro Bay, Royal Oak and Gordon Head, however, meet the 30 per cent threshold, while canopy coverage in the district’s more densely populated neighbourhoods like Saanich Core, Tillicum, Carey, Shelbourne and North Quadra all fall below the 30 per cent mark.

Murdock said the district is looking to expand tree planting on municipal properties, roads and parks. He said he also wants to find ways, like a grant system or utility tax incentives, to incentivize homeowners to plant trees on their own property.

“Saanich is a community that I think is known for its trees and natural environment. We want to make sure that we’re not only preserving these things, but that we’re enhancing them,” said Murdock.

The staff report is expected to ready in the fall.

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Austin Westphal

About the Author: Austin Westphal

Austin Westphal is the newest member to join the Saanich News team.
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