Urban forests: A nature-based solution for Canada
Download the infographic on urban forests (PDF, 26.2 MB)
We can all recognize the beauty and enjoyment that forests located within cities bring to us. But beyond the aesthetics of urban greenspace, Canadians are noticing the valuable services that urban forests contribute to their daily lives. Urban forests make the air cleaner, keep the temperature cooler in summer and the wind velocity lower in winter. Urban forests increase the value of property and provide habitat for plants and animals. Perhaps most important, urban forests can contribute to the resiliency of cities and towns by creating conditions that lessen the effects of climate change.
How many benefits of urban forests have you considered?
- Filter urban pollutants & particulates
- Reduce heating & cooling costs
- Increase biodiversity
- Food & habitat for animals
- Regulate water flow
- Privacy & noise reduction
- Absorb CO2 & sequester carbon
- Fruit & food
- Decrease blood pressure & stress
- Increased property values
- Shade & cooler air
Sources and information
- Climate Change Resource Center: Urban forests and climate change: United States Department of Agriculture
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations: Benefits of urban trees
- Forest Research: Benefits of greenspace: Noise abatement
- Hammitt, W. 2002. Urban forests and parks as privacy refuges. Journal of Arboriculture 28(1), 19–26
- Natural Resources Canada: Urban forests: A connection through time
- United States Department of Agriculture: Urban forests
- United States Environmental Protection Agency: Using trees and vegetation to reduce heat islands
Contact us
Email us at cfs-stateoftheforests-etatdesforets-scf@nrcan-rncan.gc.ca
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