Urban Forest Management Plan

We’re developing a plan to protect, maintain and enhance our urban forest.

What is the Urban Forest?

Our urban forest consists of all the trees on public and private property in Richmond Hill – the ones in your yard, the ones that line our streets and those in our parks and natural areas. These trees provide a wide range of environmental, ecological, social, cultural and economic benefits.

Over the past decade, we’ve protected and enhanced our urban forest through strong management practices (tree planting, maintenance and removals), as well as a number of tree-related policies, by-laws and community initiatives. For example, through our Community Stewardship Program, volunteers plant approximately 10,000 trees per year in our parks and natural areas, and our Healthy Yards Program provides residents the opportunity to purchase native trees and shrubs for their private property at a low cost. Over the past three years, Richmond Hill has also replaced approximately 5,900 trees on streets and in parks to mitigate the impact of the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) on the City’s urban forest.

Why we need a plan 

A well-managed urban forest is a critical part of a sustainable community. Unfortunately, rising pressures from development, climate change (i.e. ice storms), invasive species, pests (i.e. Emerald Ash Borer) and pathogens are impacting trees in our community. In an attempt to withstand these pressures, we're developing an Urban Forest Management Plan. Building on initiatives already underway, the Plan will provide a more comprehensive and strategic approach to protecting, maintaining and enhancing our urban forest. 

Public consultation

Our urban forest is a shared and valuable community asset. In summer 2018, we asked the community for feedback through a public open house and an online survey. Your input is helping to inform the plan.

If you’d like to stay up-to-date on the UFMP development, subscribe to this page by clicking on ‘Receive email updates’ below.

The Plan is expected to be complete in 2020. For more information, email naturalenvironment@richmondhill.ca.