Vancouver is planning to raise its tree canopy coverage to 30 percent by 2050. Toronto has set a goal of 40 percent by 2050. In 2023, Montreal committed $76 million toward raising the canopy coverage to 26 percent by next year. Winnipeg’s One Million Tree Challenge calls on residents to help plant a million new trees over the next twenty years.
In the face of record-breaking heat waves and storms, it makes sense to plant more trees—they help cool the environment, capture carbon, and absorb rainfall, among other benefits. But many cities aren’t planting a sufficient number to keep pace with deforestation and development, says Michael Petryk, arborist and director of urban programs for Tree Canada. Perhaps more concerning is that most aren’t doing enough to care for and preserve the ones they already have, especially in the face of climate change.
