Tree Day / Urban Forest Management Plan consultation launch

On September 23 at the Horticulture Building at Lansdowne Park, the City is celebrating National Tree Day and, at the same time, getting underway with a new Urban Forest Management Plan consultation. I'm really pleased to be attending and introducing keynote speaker Philip van Wassaenaer, principal consulting arborist and founder of Urban Forest Innovations. The event begins at 6 pm with an expo, and then formal presentation at 7.

The City describes the forthcoming plan as: "[o]ne of City Council's Strategic Initiatives, the plan will provide a structured approach to protecting and enhancing the environmental, social and economical services provided by the urban forest. Currently, many major municipalities have developed and implemented urban forest strategies to set long-term vision, goals and objectives for municipal forest management programs and established policies and practice to achieve them. The City of Ottawa has many policies, pograms, initiatives and regulations related to trees, however, there is no overarching long-term vision and plan for our urban forest. Canada's Capital city has an opportunity to become a leader in urban forest managment reinforcing the value of its green assets. The project is starting this fall and will take a year and a half to complete. Your opportunity to get involved will begin in November 2015."

The consultation launch and Tree Day celebration will feature an expo of tree and evironmental organizations including Ecology Ottawa, Tree Canada, and others. More info will be posted to http://ottawa.ca/en/city-hall/public-consultations/environment/urban-forest-management-plan as it becomes available.

For more info, contact Marth Copestake at the City, 613.580.2424 x.17922 or martha.copestake@ottawa.ca.