The City of Burlington is currently updating and replacing the 2010 Urban Forest Management Plan with a new Urban Forest Master Plan.
Background
The updated Master Plan will provide strategic direction to manage the urban forest in response to new challenges including urban development, climate change and extreme weather, and invasive pests. The City of Burlington is seeking community input to inform the vision, principles, goals, and recommendations for the draft Master Plan. We are currently in the stakeholder consultation stage of the project, which is one of five stages. The second round of engagement is anticipated in late 2022 and will seek input on the draft Master Plan.
Burlington is also in the process of developing its first Woodland Management Strategy to provide standards and guidelines for management of City woodlands. More information and engagement opportunities are coming soon in the fall of 2022.
The Urban Forest Master Plan will provide:
- Baseline information on the current state of the urban forest
- A long-term vision for the urban forest
- Updated goals, recommendations, and targets
- Operational plans to guide implementation
Introducing the urban forest
Burlington’s urban forest includes all trees, forests, plants, soils, and ecosystem components within the city. Many types of trees make up the urban forest and are found on streets, within parks, in natural woodlands, and on private land in urban and rural landscapes.
Trees contribute to the livability of our city by providing benefits such as beautification and cooling of our urban areas, providing places for recreation and peaceful contemplation, stabilizing steep slopes, sequestering (storing) carbon, and supporting wildlife and biodiversity. The urban forest provides opportunities for people to interact with nature, which research has found improves both our health and our happiness.
There are many ways to stay involved
- Take the Urban Forest Master Plan survey at getinvolvedburlington.ca/ufmp, available between June 8 and June 29, 2022. The survey, which will take approximately 15 minutes to complete, will help shape the urban forest vision and strategic directions.
- Submit an urban forest location you value or where you would like to see improved along with a photo of the location using the places tool at getinvolvedburlington.ca/ufmp. Find out what other people think by clicking the points on the map. We will be collecting locations using the places tool between June 8 and June 29, 2022.
- Attend the virtual public information centre on June 8, 2022 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. to learn about Burlington’s state of the urban forest and ask questions about the Master Plan. The information centre is hosted via Zoom. Register for the June 8 event at getinvolvedburlington.ca/ufmp.
- Access the interactive Urban Forest Story Map from getinvolvedburlington.ca/ufmp. The interactive page includes data, graphics, and interactive maps that highlight key findings on the current state of Burlington’s urban forest.
Stay tuned at getinvolvedburlington.ca/ufmp for ongoing updates on the Urban Forest Master Plan project.
Take Action Burlington! Trees are important to Burlington. Let’s come together to manage and care for an urban forest that will benefit future generations. Collectively we can make a difference.
This post was provided by the City of Burlington’s Urban Forest Master Plan project team.
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