Vancouver park board plans tree canopy expansion on city's east side

A leafy street in Vancouver Photo by NICK PROCAYLO /PNG

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Residents on Vancouver’s east side could see some long-term relief from sun and heat if a park board proposal to increase the tree canopy is approved on July 27.

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The Vancouver park board is recommending staff approve a $4.5 million plan to improve tree canopies in Marpole, Sunset, Kensington-Cedar Cottage, Renfrew-Collingwood as well as Strathcona, Grandview-Woodland and Hastings-Sunrise.

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The plan would expand existing street tree planting programs by adding about 3000 new trees in the targeted areas in an effort to address inequities in urban tree canopy coverage.

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“The city has a good overall tree canopy goal, but some neighbourhoods are falling far short,” said Sara Barron, Program Director in Urban Forestry Leadership at UBC.

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While the city’s tree canopy maps show Sunset has about 14 per cent coverage, Barron said her research has shown some areas in Sunset have as little as 8 per cent tree coverage.

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While tree shade is a huge benefit during heat waves, and helps prevent urban heat islands where buildings and pavement trap heat, people who live in higher canopy neighbourhoods have better health outcomes overall.

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“Those who live in lower canopy neighbourhoods don’t enjoy the same benefits,” said Barron.

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“Studies have shown that living in a neighbourhood with a lot of tree canopy increases people’s sense of pride in a place, and their mental health. Prescription and antidepressant rates are lower in higher canopy neighbourhoods,” she added.

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A leafy sidewalk in Vancouver. Photo by NICK PROCAYLO /PNG

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In 2025, the city approved an ambitious new Urban Forest Strategy aimed at expanding Vancouver’s urban forest, which includes the trees on both public and private lands, from about 25 per cent to 30 per cent by 2050.

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The city’s Urban Forest Strategy report showed that although tree canopy has steadily expanded on both public and private land in Vancouver since 2013, it is still unequally distributed across the city with more tree canopy coverage concentrated on Vancouver’s west side.

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Barron said a complex set of historical factors have contributed to the lower tree canopy on Vancouver’s east side.

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“The lots are larger on the west side, with potential for more private tree canopies. In some areas, street trees have been growing for a long time providing quite a broad canopy, and a lot of east side neighbourhoods that I have looked at have redeveloped more recently. Often when there is redevelopment the trees get lost, and they are not protected adequately or there could be damage during development.”

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Development requires underground infrastructure for utilities and parking garages, which can impact the space required for healthy root volume as well, said Barron.

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A tree canopy covers residential neighbourhoods in Vancouver in 2022. Photo by NICK PROCAYLO /PNG

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Barron called the 30 per cent goal for tree canopy coverage by 2050 “ambitious and achievable,” although several Canadian cities, including Maple Ridge, have set targets at 40 per cent.