CAFES Neighbourhood Canopy Regeneration Initiative: A lot of activity happening with the CAFES Neighbourhood Canopy Regeneration Initiative in eight different neighbourhoods!
2021-2022 Neighbourhood Canopy Regeneration Initiative - Volunteer Sign-Up
CAFES Tree Advocacy: The Tree Caucus Co-Animators are Jennifer Humphries and Daniel Buckles. You can reach them at trees@cafesottawa.ca. We advocate for City of Ottawa policies and practices that support a biodiverse and healthy urban tree canopy.
Our current top advocacy ask is for the City Forestry Department to target 40% canopy cover per neighbourhood. Having a plentiful canopy will increase our wellness and help mitigate heat. This is an equity issue as well: all neighbourhoods need canopy trees. And for downtown and the rapidly intensifying neighbourhoods, it is a matter of priority -- balancing grey and green. In the context of the draft Official Plan, the City so far has only proposed to set a canopy target of 40% city wide, including the greenbelt.
Key City policies include the Urban Forest Master Plan (UFMP) and the Tree Protection By-Law. Other relevant policies are the new Official Plan and the new Greenspace Master Plan, both of which are under development in 2021. We monitor policy implementation and bring community perspectives on the development and improvement of these policies as CAFES representatives to the City’s Urban Forest Stakeholder Group.
Co-Animators monitor concerns raised by CAFES members, convene and facilitate group discussions and formulate positions and proposals for presentation to City officials and Community Associations. We do this in consultation with a sounding board composed of members from different parts of the City, including urban, suburban, and rural wards.
We also help members take direct action to protect and plant trees by directing them to relevant people and resources. For resources on trees and our urban forest, including our Ottawa Urban Tree Manual, check out our Resources page.
We work on urban forest issues in partnership with the Greenspace Alliance of Canada’s Capital, Ecology Ottawa, Tree Fest Ottawa, and other organizations.
If you are interested in joining the CAFES Tree Caucus, contact trees@cafesottawa.ca.
