Webinar recording: Tools for valuing trees as natural assets

Do you know that urban trees are among the most valuable natural assets a community can have? Trees offer long-term economic benefits and enhance quality of life. They can help reduce municipal expenditures by managing stormwater and reducing flood damage. Given the many benefits trees provide, it is important that they be managed with the same care and consideration as built infrastructure.

Watch this webinar to learn from a panel of experts how to value trees as strategic climate and equity assets in your community. You’ll also learn how to integrate adaptation strategies into your community’s existing asset management practices.  

Watching this webinar will help you:  

• Learn practical approaches to quantify the economic and climate benefits of urban trees.
• Explore real examples and understand how you can use valuation tools to get the most from your community’s invest in trees.
• Discover how natural asset inventories and tree condition assessment can help you plan maintenance, reduce risk and optimize your investment in trees.
• Understand how tree monitoring frameworks supports decision-making, risk management, lifecycle planning and more. 

Speakers:  

• Patrick Wong, Senior Natural Heritage Planner, City of Markham  
• Gillian Dick, Manager of Spatial Planning, City of Glasgow  
• Trevor Rutley, Director of Infrastructure Services, Town of Gibsons

This webinar is well suited for Canadian communities of all sizes, including:

• Municipal staff working in urban forestry, climate adaptation, environment, community planning, community development, or parks and recreation.
• Municipal partners such as local organizations, NGOs, and community groups involved in tree planting or ecological restoration.
• Elected officials and municipal decision-makers interested in enhancing community resilience and biodiversity.
• Environmental consultants and practitioners supporting municipalities in developing or implementing urban forestry plans and projects. 

Our expert panel and audience members shared the following resources to help you learn how to use valuation tools to get the most from their community’s investment in trees:  

• Town of Gibsons, BC- Urban forest plan 2025
• City of Markham, ON- Asset management plan
• Town of Pelham, ON- Natural asses inventory dashboard
• Bringing health and health equity into natural heritage in Peel region
• Peel region ON- Tree planting prioritization tool
• City of Toronto, ON- Tree equity score analyzer

Watch the webinar

This webinar was created in partnership by Tree Canada and FCM’s Green Municipal Fund for the Growing Canada’s Community Canopies initiative, which is delivered by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and funded by the Government of Canada.