Variations in municipal urban forestry policies: A case study of Toronto, Canada

This study explored the range and impacts of urban forestry policies across the 29 municipalities of the Greater Toronto Area, Canada, that affect the planting and removal of trees on private property. Municipalities were interviewed on the phone about management and inventories of urban woodlots (wooded areas greater than 0.2 ha), regulations regarding street trees, and regulations regarding trees on private property. Landsat aerial imagery was used to determine the extent of tree cover so that it could be related to community policies. Eighteen of the respondents indicated that their municipality had a street tree planting and removal program, and 18 also legal penalties for removing street trees; only four had regulations governing the removal of trees on private property. All but two of the communities with street tree planting programs had a list of criteria guiding species choice and planting site selection. There were no clear results to the assessment of a connection between urban forest regulations and the amount of vegetation.