[All] Urban Forest

[judy martin]

With respect to efforts to protect the urban forest in Guelph, our success
has been very limited.

Guelph Urban Forest Friends(GUFF) formed 4-5 years ago to advocate for
protection of the urban forest.  We have two arborists on our steering
committee.  We have pushed for putting an urban forester on staff (currently
trees are managed by the Operations Department) and for a tree by-law that
applies to public and private trees and would require protections for trees
in construction areas.

After years of work, including delegations to council (presentation of a
power point illustrating impacts on our urban forest), letters,
communications with our e-list of 500 supporters, tabling at public events,
etc. we still have

--no urban forester or forestry department
--no protection of trees in construction areas (even on City construction
projects, roots of mature trees are routinely severed within a metre or two
of the trunks, heavy equipment is parked on the root zones)
--no tree by-law that applies to public and private trees

Our City Council did pass a tree by-law in August 2010, but it was so weak
that GUFF opposed it.  It only applies to trees on properties of .5 acres or
more.  Anyone who wishes to remove a tree over a certain size must obtain a
permit from the City.   However, there are numerous exemptions (e.g.
commercial/industrial property, golf courses, railroad property).  And, the
by-law does not apply to developments under the Ontario Planning Act, so a
developer is still free to clear cut a parcel to be developed.

Guelph City Council has committed to reaching a 40% canopy goal for the
City, but that will never happen if mature trees continue to be cut at the
current rate.  Despite Guelph's green image, there does not appear to be a
culture of respect for mature trees, a recognition of the importance of
green infrastructure and the ecological capital that trees provide, or an
acknowledgment that the value of mature trees that are cut cannot be
replaced with saplings.

Judy Martin

2010/11/16 D Balanoff <dbalanoff at hotmail.com>

>  PK<
>
> The quick unequivocal answer is : NO!
>
> How do I know this - well last year my wife an I had to call both the
> police and the city of Waterloo to solve a slight difference we where having
> with a "new" neighbour in our backyard. He was merrily chainsawing some 100
> year old spruce trees ON OUR PROPERTY - his (excuse) reasoning was
> liability....someone might trip on the branches below eight feet..... AFTER
> the city forester bicycled back from his home to the office AND then to our
> house - the city was able to get him on his cell phone - after hours.... AND
> the police could NOT do anything without causing MORE potential headaches
> for US - the police wanted the forester to arrive - possibly more than we
> did.   LOng story short - the forester was BESIDE himself with what was
> happening to the trees - however since the branches were going over onto the
> other property ALL HE could do WAS STRONGLY suggest the guy NOT CUT THEM AND
> the ones he already had NEED PROPER Pruning....NEED LESS TO SAY - said SAW
> man continued and did WHAT HE WANTED...
> ...
> After private discussion with the police AND more importantly the
> Forester....we learned some VERY sad news indeed...THE city of Kitchener,
> the city of Waterloo, AND the REGION HAVE NO rules OR regulations that
> PROTECT   OR   VALUE what we have for our "URBAN FOREST" AND are UNDER
> STAFFED AND it is NOT even on their RADAR..
>
> There was / is a group of citizens a few years back TRYING desperately to
> get something going with regards to URBAN FOREST ....in Guelph ONtario - not
> sure of the outcome...
>
> Hope this little rant helps in some small way.... OUR TREES in the city
> especially are a RESOURCE and should be the centre of ALL our planning and
> thoughts...
>
> Don Balanoff
>
> ------------------------------
> From: sustainab at hotmail.com
> To: all at gren.ca
> Date: Tue, 16 Nov 2010 13:18:22 -0500
> Subject: [All] Urban Forest
>
>
>   Does Waterloo Region have an equivalent position/program (see below) for
> *participative* urban reforestation? Maybe this is why London is called
> the the *forest city*.
>
> I haven't actually done a survey, but anecdotally, I've come across more
> than a few local folks almost tripping over each other in an attempt to get
> rid of, especially, their larger broadleaf trees, reasoning that they're a
> pain in the ass to take care of and "they might fall on the house". While
> these may be reasonable concerns, the properties which have lost their
> once-proud giants don't seem to be making any effort to replace them, even
> with smaller trees.
>
> Obviously, liabilities figure into the equation. But, what about the asset
> side of the balance sheet?  - Urban heat-island mitigation, local food
> production, lower air conditioning costs, pollutant mitigation, water
> sequestration/transpiration, carbon sequestration, habitat creation,
> compostable biomass.
>
> Without even getting into the intrinsic value of trees (pleasing
> aesthetics, a place to relax on a hot summer day) and the urban
> ecosystem(s) they anchor, it seems like there are still a lot of people out
> there who don't understand the value of urban forest.
>
> PK
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Project Manager, ReForest London, London, Ontario
> Date posted to GoodWorkCanada.ca <http://www.goodworkcanada.ca/>: Nov 15
> 2010
> ------------------------------
>
>
>
>
>
>  EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY
>
> Position: Project Manager
> Organization: ReForest London http://www.reforestlondon.ca
> Location: London, Ontario
>
> Summary
> ReForest London is a charitable, non-profit organization that engages
> individuals, groups and businesses in planting and caring for trees in
> neighbourhoods and natural areas throughout London.
>
> The Project Manager is responsible for managing the planning and
> implementation of all ReForest London projects and their aftercare. The
> Project Manager also will advise ReForest London in technical matters
> related to project planning, project implementation and strategic direction.
>
> This is a one-year contract with possibility of renewal. The contract is
> for 700 hours of service (2 days per week). The schedule requires some
> weekend and evening work, and work hours are flexible. The schedule is
> cyclical, with the busiest times during the spring and fall planting
> periods.
>
> Qualifications
> The ideal candidate will possess a BSc in biological sciences, earth
> sciences, or environmental studies, and will have experience planning and
> implementing large scale naturalization projects. Non-profit organization
> experience as well as experience working with volunteers is desired. The
> candidate will have excellent written and oral communication skills, and
> will have experience with Microsoft Access, Excel, and Word, as well as
> being comfortable using email and web interfaces. Knowledge of ArcGIS a
> plus.
>
> Specific Duties
> 1) Manage the planning and implementation of all ReForest London tree
> planting projects. This includes:
> a. Manage the planning and implementation of all naturalization projects,
> including
> 1. site selection that weighs factors such as environmental benefit,
> ecological linkages and corridors, geographical considerations, cost per
> tree, likelihood of success, socio-economic factors of target neighbourhood,
> and other factors.
> 2. appropriate species to plant that weighs factors such as sun exposure,
> soil, moisture, urban pollution, deer browse, and other factors. This
> includes preparing and maintaining project related lists.
> 3. Planting event preparation that includes plant ordering and pick-up,
> appropriate site preparation, ordering of soil enhancements, tool
> maintenance and transportation.
> 4. Planting event leader that includes volunteer training and supervisor,
> site clean-up, and tool/plant transportation
> b. Manage the planning and implementation of additional projects that may
> occur in neighbourhoods, not to exceed 20 projects per year total.
> c. Provide technical oversight of projects led by Project Leaders
> contracted through ReForest London to deliver projects.
> 2) Coordinate and lead aftercare of projects using volunteer and paid
> labour.
> 3) Maintain ReForest London project and plant databases
> a. Maintain detailed project information that includes plant lists, numbers
> of stems planted, maps, health and survival statistics, and aftercare
> performed.
> b. Update and maintain plant databases.
> 4) Provide technical guidance to ReForest London that includes, but is not
> limited to:
> a. Strategic planning as it relates to ecological considerations, changes
> in environmental science, integration of ReForest London projects, and
> initiatives with other organizations
> b. Technical input into future project selection and program direction.
> c. Assist with grant writing by providing technical background and project
> implementation information. Assist with funding reports.
> d. Technical input into the development of educational tools (brochures,
> web content) for the promotion of the program and its objectives.
> e. Represent ReForest London events, conferences, or speaking engagements
> from time to time.
> f. Coordination with other environmental organizations in projects.
> g. Attend board meetings as needed
>
> Remuneration and Benefits
> Pay for this contract position is $18-$25 per hour, depending on experience
> and education, plus mileage and expenses. The position includes one week
> paid vacation.
>
> Application Process
> Please send a cover letter and resume in PDF or Word format to Julie Ryan,
> Executive Director at *julie* *reforestlondon.ca**** by Friday, November
> 26, 2010. Interviews will be held in December with a start date in early
> January, 2011. All email submissions will be acknowledged as received, but
> only those called for an interview will be contacted thereafter.
>
> When applying, please indicate that you saw this posting at
> GoodWorkCanada.ca.
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