Fredericton adopts plan for keeping its urban forest healthy

After 18 months of work by a consultant, the City of Fredericton can now estimate how many trees it has in its urban core: 19,288.

On Monday night, city council adopted a strategy for managing the urban forest on municipal land after commissioning Stantec Consulting in 2022 to come up with a 25-year management plan.

"There's so many things to be proud of Fredericton about, but our trees are really a point of pride for so many of us," said Coun. Ruth Breen, chair of the livable community committee.

Stantec's full proposal was first presented to the committee on Oct. 17. Breen described the strategy council approved  as an "internal document" for engineering staff to study and help council decide which actions should be included in the city budget each year. 

Stantec analyzed existing city data, collected new data, held public consultations and worked with city departments to finalize the plan.

"Fredericton is a leader in urban forestry with one of the most impressive and well-managed urban forests in Canada," the report said. 

The consultant found that 46 per cent of urban Fredericton has tree canopy cover, while rural areas have about 80 per cent cover. The total cover of about 67 per cent for the city is considered the best among Atlantic Canadian cities.

Maples make up about half the urban trees in Fredericton, which was once known as "the city of stately elms" but lost much of its elm population to disease. Norway maple, red maple and sugar maple are now the most common trees in the urban core.

Greater tree planting proposed

Stantec highlighted the city's current forest management as "proactive."

The report said 250 trees are removed from municipal property each year and about 500 trees are planted, which would sustain the canopy proportions for 30 years, without including the impact of major storms as part of the calculation.

Stantec recommended increasing annual tree planting to 750 to 1,000 trees.

The report said tree diversity is important to prevent disease and pests that harm tree populations. Fredericton's higher prevalence of maples in the urban centre is "not surprising" because the species are not currently threatened by major pests. 

The report recommends the city plant elms that are resistant to disease and manage existing elms with treatments such as vaccines.

The report identifies an invasive species called the emerald ash borer as an "emerging threat" to the ash tree population in Fredericton, but notes that city staff are monitoring for the bugs.

With climate change intensifying and making different kinds of trees suitable for Fredericton, the report outlines which species the city should focus on for new planting. 

"Conditions will become less suitable for several native species but more suitable for some more southern species," the report said.

Food forests, essentially a garden with edible foods, were put forward by the public as an idea to be studied, and Stantec recommended the city implement one as a pilot project.

Public engagement from Stantec showed that wildfires were a concern for the public, following high-profile forest fires recently in other provinces.

"The long-term stewardship of Fredericton's forest, including the restoration of mixed wood Acadian forest, is likely to reduce the risk of wildfires within the city," the report said.

While Odell and Killarney parks are "areas of concern" for wildfires, the report said the Frederiction Fire Department does have response plans for forest fires in those areas.

Why trees matter

Stantec's report was also guided by public concern over preserving the city's forested areas as Fredericton grows.

During the population growth from 2015 to 2023, the report said, the tree canopy shrunk about three per cent.

Breen highlighted the importance of the urban forest strategy in the face of climate change.

"It's not just about growing trees and climbing trees and picking apples," Breen said. "It's about their role in our very existence."