Video: How Kitchener is scaling up its urban canopy cover

Did you know that the City of Kitchener, ON is supercharging its tree planting? With support from GMF’s Growing Canada’s Community Canopies (GCCC) initiative, the city has embarked on a transformative journey to expand its tree canopy and ensure all residents receive the benefits of trees.  

Assessing and addressing tree equity

In 2019, a tree canopy report revealed that Kitchener had 27% canopy coverage across the city. The city set a target to increase the canopy cover to 30% so that the residents in areas with low canopy cover can access the same cooling benefits of trees and the air quality improvement that a robust urban forest provides. You can discover how tree planting projects contribute to long-term climate resilience and why closing this gap is critical.

Doubling down on tree planting efforts 

With $2.5M in Tree planting funding, Kitchener is doubling its tree planting targets. The city will plant more than 19,000 trees between 2025 and 2027. By using data-driven tree equity scores, the urban forestry team is prioritizing planting in communities with low canopy coverage. Most importantly trees are sourced from local nurseries to ensure they are climate-resilient and support Kitchener’s biodiversity.  

Learn how to put tree equity at the centre of your urban forestry plans and practices: Factsheet: Advancing tree equity and growing community canopies.

By taking on this ambitious project, the city of Kitchener is leading the way which will have a lasting impact for the generations to come.