The City of Kitchener began a program two years ago to increase its overall tree canopy and increase the number of trees in the neighbourhoods that need them most. But now in its third year, how is the program doing?
Radio Waterloo spoke with Hajnal Kovacs, the city’s forestry project manager, as well as Ashlynn Fleming, the interim manager of tree programs at REEP Green Solutions and community member David Shaftoe to understand the project’s goals and how well they are meeting these targets.
dan kellar Kitchener – The Community Canopy tree planting program will see over 100 new trees planted in the Chandler-Mowat neighbourhood this year. Some of the trees have been planted already with more going into the ground over the fall. The initiative is a partnership between the City of Kitchener and Reep Green Solutions, and builds on efforts to have 30% of the city covered with tree canopy by 2050
This program targets “deserving neighbourhoods” based on metrics which measure socio-economic factors as well as the current tree canopy cover.
On Thursday October 10th, from 3-5pm, a community event will take place at Laurentian Park to celebrate the accomplishments of the pilot program, and to announce the transformation of the Community Canopy program into an annual initiative.
This show features interviews with Hajnal Kovacs, the forestry project manager for the city of Kitchener, and Taylor Ross the community engagement coordinator for Reep Green Solutions.
