Why communities of all sizes benefit from urban forestry coaching

Communities know that trees matter. They enhance community well-being while creating cooler, greener and more climate-resilient spaces. However, many communities lack urban forestry expertise and support to manage trees effectively, protecting their long-term investment.

Launched in 2023, GMF’s Growing Canada’s Community Canopies initiative (GCCC) helps communities plant the right type of trees in the right places, and urban forestry coaches help to bring this important work to life by supporting them to get the most value from tree planting and planning projects.  

In this article, you’ll discover common urban forestry challenges communities face and how GCCC’s network of over thirty urban forestry coaches can help. Four coaches share their insights:  

• Marshall Buchanan, devoted to nature conservation for over 30 years; he’s managed his own forestry consulting business, specializing in landscape restoration, urban forestry, private woodlot management and forest gene conservation.  
• Barbara Rabicki, principal owner of Wild by Nature; a forest sanctuary of over 1,000 trees planted in a former depleted quarry.
• Tyler Searls, registered professional planner, forester and ISA-certified arborist. He joined Diamond Head Consulting, a company which aims to “protect, restore and enhance the natural environment” in 2021.  
• Margot Ursic, ecologist. She is the Principal of Grounded Solutions, using her experience as an applied Planning Ecologist to advise committees on land conservation efforts.  

How can an ​​urban forestry coach help your community?  

Urban forestry coaches provide specialized urban forest management expertise to communities across Canada and are supported by a partnership with Tree Canada.

Coaches support communities through every stage of the GMF funding journey; during the funding application process, coaches offer specific recommendations to bolster their applications and overall project. This can include support in: 

• developing tree planting plans,
• designing community engagement strategies,
• selecting the right trees and stock,  
• ensuring strong monitoring and maintenance practices. 

Once funding is approved, coaches support communities in the execution of the project, offering best practices to maximize the environmental and social benefits, as well as ensuring high tree survivability rates and sharing tools for tracking metrics. 

 

1. Industry expertise  

Rabicki—like other urban forestry coaches—has developed a great deal of experience that she enjoys sharing with those who want to green their communities, but may lack the industry expertise. In fact, this lack of experience is one of the main challenges that Rabicki and other urban forestry coaches often see funding applicants grapple with—especially for communities without in-house urban forestry experts, or in smaller municipalities who are strapped for staff time and resources. 

2. Community buy-in 

Another common challenge is securing public support for an urban forestry plan, says ​​Ursic. While “most people like trees,” Ursic says, “how much are [decision-makers] willing to really invest? If a municipality wants a canopy to be sustained for the long term, it needs continual reinvestment in planting, maintaining and protecting.”

Rabicki explains that coaches help applicants share with municipal decision makers the value of trees as green infrastructure, which she says can benefit wildlife habitats, air quality, stormwater management, energy savings and pest management. For example, Rabicki says, diversifying the types of trees planted can protect communities against the emerald ash borer, an invasive wood-boring beetle that, within eight to 10 years of entering a community, kills 99 percent of ash trees. 

3. Building momentum

Despite many community members wanting to contribute to a solution, individuals who know the benefits of trees beyond being “nice to look at” may feel uncertain of who to approach to launch a greening initiative, Buchanan says. 

“How can they ignite their enthusiasm [for a solution] and bring [people] together to make it happen? Is the impetus coming from the local government, or is it coming from the citizens group—and how can that effort be empowered?” Buchanan asks.

That’s why GCCC’s network of coaches is so crucial. They act as both expert guides and strategic allies for communities, building compelling cases for long-term investment, helping communities overcome gaps in staffing, training and peer connection.  

Identifying canopy gaps

With years of industry expertise, coaches leverage different tools and resources to support funding applicants, ​​​​​​such as by helping them craft a plan for their tree planting project.  

From an equity standpoint, Searls says that, when creating a tree planting plan, it’s vital that communities identify gaps in their canopy and which neighbourhoods might benefit the most from greening. Factors such as race, culture, income and education may have historically impacted how trees were planted throughout an area, with underserved neighbourhoods often seeing less green space. This lack of green spaces can lead to higher rates of heat-related deaths and illnesses, higher utility bills, structural damage due to extreme weather events and more.  

Addressing biodiversity loss

Buchanan adds that there is a ‘biodiversity crisis’ in Canada—statistics show that at-risk mammal populations, such as the woodland caribou who rely on mature trees for nutrition and safe travel routes, have fallen by almost half in 50 years.

When natural spaces and biodiversity are lost, risks to human health increase. Without the power of trees, the air is filled with more pollutants, food safety and security dwindle, pandemic risks increase, and more.  

That’s why it is so important to design urban forestry projects that increase biodiversity, prioritize native species and protect existing green spaces. Coaches can offer expert guidance to support a more diverse and resilient urban forest through strategic tree planting or naturalization projects. 

Right-sized support  

Regardless of size or prior experience, any community applying for funding can benefit from urban forestry coaching.  

When working with funding applicants, Searls’ first step is to have a discovery meeting to better understand where the community is at in terms of expertise and previous urban forest management—for example, is this the first-ever large-scale greening initiative, or is it a municipality looking to scale their existing urban forestry efforts with additional funding?  

“That can help you chart the course to get through the application process and hopefully be successful,” says Searls. As a coach, one of his first assignments was with an established community of over 100,000 people. Searls explains that, as a larger community, they had a great deal of subject-matter expertise in urban forest management—however, where Searls came in was to help them navigate their GMF funding application.  

“They have good awareness of where they might have needed me, and so we've left the door open to them engaging me as they see fit,” he says.  

Rabicki’s approach is similar to Searls’—she begins every project by identifying a community’s existing capacity. “Are they struggling with staffing resources, financial resources?” she says, listing the kinds of problems a community can face, from managing their urban forestry contacts to finding suppliers, or drafting up contracts and tenders for forestry services. “Those are all things that we can help with, depending on what their individual needs are,” Rabicki says.

From there, she helps funding applicants break down their ​​​​project into “doable chunks”, from​ defining their objectives and collecting data on the status of their canopies, to selecting a planning site and choosing the right tree species. ​​​

Searls says that smaller communities are more likely to have limited urban forestry networks, as they may not have the staff capacity or resources to attend industry conferences. “They don't belong to certain professional associations, they don't get the networking opportunities.”

Even a community that is well-established in urban forestry can benefit from coaching, Rabicki says. “Your network can never be big enough, because there are often challenges that you're facing at different times,” Rabicki said—for example, figuring out how to protect tree canopies from an unexpected disease or pest infestation.  

Coaches can support strategic planning work, like the development of an urban forest management plan. With a strategic plan in hand, Rabicki says that communities have a “road map” that they can refer to, including touchpoints with a community’s municipal council for buy-in, as well as “helping the public understand what the goals are, and why it's critical to build a tree canopy,” she says.

Ursic adds that, while the needs of each community are unique, there’s always something to be gained from working with a coach. For example, a larger municipality might need a particular niche filled—such as an expert on woodland management—while others need assistance with figuring out how to approach their to-do list. “Maybe they need guidance on helping to prioritize [tasks],” Ursic says. “There's a lot they want to do, but they can only do so much. Where's going to be the best place for them to put their resources?”

​​​​​​​​​Currently an urban forestry coach to various municipalities, Ursic adds that funding applicants benefit from urban forestry coaches who work with a breadth of communities. “I learn little bits and pieces in different places that I can bring to other projects and say, ‘over here, they've had this experience, maybe this would work for you,’” she says.  

While communities benefit greatly from working with a coach, coaches also have something to gain from partnering with funding applicants: Rabicki—who has worked both as a forestry consultant and as a municipal staff member—says she “gets excited” about helping others learn and become confident in their projects.  

“It's about passing on the experience and helping others grow and succeed and learn together,” she says. “It's a collaborative greening of Canada's communities.”​

Got a project idea? Don’t do it alone

Whether you’re just starting to dream up your urban forestry project or already deep in implementation, connecting with a GCCC urban forestry coach early on can make all the difference.

The earlier you connect with a GCCC urban forestry coach, the stronger your project will be. Talk to our outreach team to learn about GMF funding, share your project idea, get matched with a coach and explore how we can help. 

The Green Municipal Fund’s Growing Canada’s Community Canopies is a $291 million initiative, ending in 2031, funded by the Government of Canada and delivered by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. Capacity building is enabled through a partnership with Tree Canada. GCCC will support the planting of at least 1.2M trees across Canada by end of March 2031.