Saanich expects to plant as many as 10,000 trees a year, but still needs direction on where those trees should go, so it’s asking for public input.
Through questionnaires, surveys and open houses, Saanich residents can have their say on how the district will manage the urban forest as well as protect and enhance its biodiversity.
The urban forest strategy, first developed in 2010, is intended to establish a vision for the urban forest over the next 50 years.
Saanich council recently asked its staff look into the financial implications of significantly increasing the municipality’s annual tree-planting target after a report found the district had fallen behind in maintaining its urban forest.
Council has suggested ramping up to planting as many as 10,000 trees a year. The current target is 2,000 trees a year, but a report by Vancouver-based Diamond Head Consulting on the state of the urban forest says that’s not enough.
The report found forest cover in the district is unevenly distributed, with several neighbourhoods not meeting the goal of 30 per cent canopy cover.
The biodiversity conservation strategy is to be developed based on another study from Diamond Head on the district’s ecosystems, ecological communities and species and the key threats to biodiversity.
That report found Saanich is home to unique ecosystems and species but they are increasingly threatened by development, loss of Indigenous culture and practices, pests and recreational pressure.
Residents wanting to weigh in on either topic can take online surveys. The forest survey is at surveymonkey.com/r/SaanichUFS and the biodiversity survey is at https://survey.givingopinions.ca/c316o.
An open house will be held at Cedar Hill Golf Course on April 18 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. and online between 6:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. at bit.ly/3Kk0NrB.
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