Video: How the City of Cornwall is achieving tree equity

Rising summer temperatures and urban heat islands hit vulnerable communities the hardest. In the City of Cornwall, several residential areas lacked adequate canopy cover, leaving families with few shaded spaces, increasing their health risks and driving up air conditioning demands.

With support from GMF’s Growing Canada’s Community Canopies (GCCC) initiative’s Tree planting funding, the City of Cornwall is planting new trees in neighbourhoods with the greatest need for the cooling power of trees.

Assessing the needs for canopy expansion  

Along with many other municipalities, Cornwall has declared a climate emergency. To address extreme heat, they used vulnerability and risk assessment maps associated with their broader climate adaptation plan to identify high-risk and low canopy areas.  

Planting for long-term climate resilience  

With funding from GMF, Cornwall launched its Cooling vulnerable neighbourhoods project to expand shade, protect local infrastructure and advance tree equity. The city planted over 240 climate-resilient native trees across priority neighbourhoods, parks and municipal housing properties.  

To ensure long-term survival in changing weather conditions, forestry specialists selected species suited to future climate projections while avoiding varieties vulnerable to warming temperature trends.

Planting trees is only one part of Cornwall’s approach to climate resilience. To protect and enhance its canopy in the long run, the city is developing a 10-year urban forest management plan. This strategy will help staff monitor tree health across public and private lands, while updating local tree protection policies and coordinating canopy targets across municipal departments for years to come.