Ensuring Healthy Urban Forests in Metro Vancouver METRO VANCOUVERS - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Ensuring Healthy Urban Forests in Metro Vancouver

Edward Nichol

SENIOR POLICY AND PLANNING ANALYST

Sustainability Community Breakfast | February 20, 2019 | BCIT

METRO VANCOUVER’S URBAN FOREST CLIMATE ADAPTATION INITIATIVE

2

Outline

• Regional Urban Growth
• Regional Climate Change Impacts
• Urban Trees and Ecosystem

Services

• Urban Forest Climate Adaptation

Initiative

• Framework
• Design Guidebook
• Species Selection Database
• Opportunities for Integration

3

Member Jurisdictions

21 municipalities

• ne Electoral Area

and one Treaty First Nation

WORKING TOGETHER FOR A LIVABLE REGION

4

Regional Urban Growth

5

2,570,000 975,000 1,355,000 3,400,000 1,300,000 1,700,000

2016 2040

Metro 2040

6

Regional Climate Change Impacts

• Climate projections:
• Hotter, drier summers
• Warmer winters, reduced snowpack
• More extreme rainfall events
• Impacts to ecosystems

7

Ecosystem Services Provided by Trees

8

Urban Forests in a Changing Climate

• Provide ecosystem services,

including climate adaptation BUT

• Must be healthy and climate

resilient to provide these services

• Practical and regionally specific

guidance was lacking

9

Urban Forest Climate Adaptation Initiative

Goal:

• Climate change is considered as

part of urban forest planning and management

• 3 outputs:
• 1. Framework
• 2. Species selection database
• 3. Design guidebook

10

• 1. Urban Forest Climate

Adaptation Framework

• Purpose:
• Assess current vulnerabilities, identify

future risks

• Develop tools to build resilience
• Management guidelines
• 3 key steps to help practitioners

select climate-adapted species

11

• 2. Species Selection

Database

• Local climate suitability
• Tree growth predictions
• Tree selection considerations
• Recommended locations:

Maximize benefits

12

• 3. Design Guidebook

13

• Resilient infrastructure, ecosystems,

communities

• 80% reduction in greenhouse gases

in the region

Opportunities for Integration

Metro Vancouver demonstrates bold leadership in responding to climate change

14

15

Climate 2050 Roadmaps

Thank you!