The Urban Canopy Workgroup suggests the resources listed below to help guide you through urban canopy and its application to landscape architecture. For more information on events about this issue, visit our events calendar.
Open Urban Forests: Establishing the First National View of Urban Forestry Geospatial Data in Canada
Open Urban Forests Establishing the First National View of Urban Forestry Geospatial Data in Canada is a centralised national hub for monitoring tree cover, tree planting, carbon storage, and long-term trends in urban forests. This interactive learning hub offers a number of benefits to stakeholders in the urban forestry, planning, and allied fields including planning, landscape architecture, GIS, technology, geography, and others. Data from this hub can be used to support decision-making and measure the continuous effects of climate change and other trends on urban forests across Canada.
Think Tank on a Pan-Canadian Strategy on Urban Forests
Bringing together about 20 experts from across Canada for seven meetings, the think tank delivered
recommendations on how urban forests can improve health, increase quality of life, and address barriers to green infrastructure development. This document provides a synopsis of the discussions and a proposition for moving forward surrounding equitable access, research, landscape management approaches, green infrastructure cost-benefits, and integration and accessibility.
Tree Canada
Tree Canada is dedicated to planting and nurturing trees in rural and urban environments.
Through their programs, research and educational efforts, they have helped restore tree cover in areas hit by natural disasters, guided communities in managing their urban forests, helped green 660 schoolyards and organized urban forest conferences.
To date, with our community partners and sponsors, they have planted more than 82 million trees.
Canadian Urban Forest Network (CUFN)
The CUFN is the largest network of urban forestry experts, academics and practitioners in the country. Organized by Tree Canada, the CUFN advocates for urban forests all across Canada under the guidance and leadership of the CUFN steering committee.
Canadian Urban Forest Strategy (CUFS)
The Canadian Urban Forest Strategy (CUFS) was first articulated in 2006 as a strategic initiative of Canada’s urban forest practitioners including: foresters, managers, arborists, planners, community workers and politicians. It coincided with Canada’s National Forest Strategy (1988-2008) a government, NGO and private sector coalition whose aim was to move Canada towards forest sustainability. The final iteration (2003-2008) of the National Forest Strategy included a section on urban forests.
Canadian Forest Service
The Canadian Forest Service is the national and international voice for Canada’s forest sector. We are part of Natural Resources Canada, a federal government department, and have an office in Ottawa and 6 research centres across the country.
Research
One of the core mandates is to conduct scientific research on Canada’s forests. This research can be used to inform forest management planning and policy decisions and to assist the forest industry, the public and other scientists. Research projects cover diverse forestry related issues including climate change, forest fires, pests, and remote sensing.
Publications Database
CFS scientists provide expertise and tools on topics such as forest fire monitoring, insect and disease identification, forest monitoring, climate change research, biodiversity, conservation, protection, industry innovation and more. CFS policy analysts provide expertise in economic analysis, policy-decisions and planning as well as guidance on forest sector issues. The publications database includes journal articles, books, reports, series and leaflets.
Institut de recherche en biologie végétale de l’Université de Montréal
Located on the site of the Montreal Botanical Garden, established through a partnership between the Université de Montréal and the City of Montréal (Space for life Montréal), the IRBV is a centre of excellence in research and teaching. It brings together the research teams directed by twenty-one researchers with diverse yet complementary expertise in the plant sciences. Their research thematics cover a wide spectrum of disciplines, including genomics, functional biodiversity, phytotechnology, biological control and ecological management, addressing both fundamental and applied problematics. The IRBV also trains graduate students, who represent the next generation of researchers.
Research Themes
Over the years, IRBV researchers have developed unique expertise in the fields of plant reproductive biology, plant ecology, systematics, phytotechnology and biological control. Our research program is now structured according to core research themes. These multidisciplinary themes characterize the most innovative research at the IRBV and reflect the evolution of research at the IRBV, defining the Institute’s unicity and expertise.
Published Sources
- “The Influence of Abiotic Factors on Street Tree Condition and Mortality in a Commercial-Retail Streetscape” Arboriculture & Urban Forestry May 2018. 44(3):133–145
- “Street Tree List for Denver’s Public Rights-of-way” (2017)
- Pennsylvania State University Extension Department of Horticulture, “Shade Tolerant Trees, Shrubs and Groundcovers” (2007)
- “Improving confidence in tree species selection for challenging urban sites: a role for leaf turgor loss” Sjoman, Hirons, Bassuk. Urban Ecosystems (
2018) 21:1171–1188 - “Tree Species Selection for Green Infrastructure: A Guide for Specifiers”, Andrew Hirons & Henrik Sjoman
- "Propagation trays play vital role in tree health" A.M.A (2020)
- "Growing Healthy Oaks" A.M.A (2019)
- "Talking Healthy Roots with Ontario Horticulture Students" A.M.A (2018)
- "Ontario Landscape Tree Planting Guide" Landscape Ontario (2019)
- University of Florida Arboriculture Video Series: University of Florida
- "Understanding the Challenges of Municipal Tree Planting" US Forest Service (2010)
- "Visual Similarity and Biological Diversity: Street Tree Selection and Design" Bassuk, Nina,. Trowbridge, Peter,. Grohs, Carol
- "Shade Tolerant Trees, Shrubs and Groundcovers" PennState Extension (2007)
- "Information About Trees and Shrubs" Nina Bassuk
Research Institutes, Non-Profits, Government
- Vineland Research and Innovation Centre
- Forests Ontario
- Ontario Urban Forest Council
- Ontario Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture
- Landscape Ontario
Suppliers and Related Products
- Root Smart / A.M.A. introduces the RootSmart™ Propagation System
- Pioneer Pot
- Root Pouch
- Smart Pot
- RediRoot