In the wake of a hot, dry summer across Canada – extreme heat events led to nearly 600 excess deaths in BC alone – planners must consider how their practices should evolve in the context of a changing climate. Trees and urban forests provide essential ecosystem services that planners should consider and balance with other priorities in land use decisions. This session will include three presentations providing an overview of how regional and municipal actors in BC have worked to overcome barriers to tree protection and planting. Metro Vancouver staff will present an overview of the regional role in urban forestry and climate adaptation, and how it has informed regional planning. Diamond Head Consulting staff will present the Tree Regulations Toolkit. Published by Metro Vancouver in 2021, the toolkit guides planners to consider trees in higher-level policies, land use and tree bylaws. Finally, City of Victoria staff will offer a case study on how the municipality has integrated trees into land use decision-making from its Parks and Planning departments. Victoria’s initiatives include the new ‘Missing Middle’ zoning, tree bylaw update, and tree management in the public realm.
