Sunday November 26, 2023 | LANGFORD, BC [Updated 7:09 pm]
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
The process of developing an Urban Forest Management Plan (UFMP) for Langford is underway. The UFMP will identify the community’s 25-year vision and values in managing its urban forest.
A public open house was held on November 15, attended by about 100 members of the public; attending from council were Kimberley Guiry, Colby Harder, Lillian Szpak and Mary Wagner (Mayor Scott Goodmanson was double-booked and arrived toward the end).
A walkabout among display boards was followed by a presentation by the city’s consultant (Diamond Head Consulting) and then a question and answer period between the audience and the consultant.
Canopy cover:
Canopy cover is important for any urban community, providing visual appeal, cooling on hot days, shade for people and pets, and contributing as a carbon sink.
Two data sets were accumulated this past summer including aerial and satellite imagery. Canopy covering mapping is expected to be complete by year-end. The date will be organized by spatial units that are meaningful to the community: neighbourhood, land use, ownership, electoral wards .. any sort of
CRD’s 2019 canopy data set was shown as an example. It shows that areas of the city that have the highest canopy cover are the coolest during intense summer heat; that urban heat island effect happens in cities around the world.
Areas of low canopy cover saw high deaths during the heat dome in June 2021 in BC’s largest cities.
A tree equity score can be developed to deal with gaps in canopy cover relative to social need. A future canopy target may be adopted from data achieved in this project.
Native and exotic:
Native species can be blended with ‘exotic’ (non-native) plantings for reasons of canopy cover, visual appearance, speed of growth, and longevity.
Trees that are easily visible in Langford — and already associated with the ‘character’ of Langford include Douglas fir, spruce, maple, sequoia, arbutus, and the palm trees that have been introduced in the core area.
The UFMP approach:
That will include baseline information on the current state of Langford’s urban forest, a long-term vision for the City’s urban forest, program goals, recommendations, targets, operational plans, policies and specifications to support the Plan’s implementation.
Input online through Monday November 27:
There is one more day to provide public input (to 4 pm on Monday November 27, 2023), using the Urban Forest Management Plan survey within the LetsChatLangford.ca engagement portal.
- The online survey takes about 20 to 25 minutes to complete.
- The survey will aim to a broad profile of demographics and approximate place of residence, without revealing personal identity.
- The public can makes submissions through an online mapping tool. Using digital pins, participants can indicate places in Langford where they value the urban forest or places where improvement could be made.
Urban trees & their maintenance:
The plan is a way to set out the objectives by which to guide the City in addressing the range of challenges now facing urban trees and their maintenance.
Like many communities on Vancouver Island, Langford interfaces with natural tree lines. Within the city some old trees stand tall while in other areas new landscaping plans have been rolled out as housing development marches forward.
Langford’s urban forest consists of all trees, forested areas, plants, soils, and ecosystem components located within the city boundary.
Many types of trees make up the urban forest, including public street trees, park (i.e. ornamental) and woodland trees, as well as the trees on private land in both urban and rural landscapes.
Importance of trees:
Langford’s trees are an important community asset, and the City is developing its first UFMP in recognition of this value.
The presence of trees in human communities contributes to emotional and mental well-being in addition to the important impacts of urban landscape (visual, canopy in sun, cooling during heat) and the contribution of trees to collecting carbon from the atmosphere.
On the west coast in particular we hope to enjoy continued availability of natural landscapes, fresh air, and the many cultural and community benefits of trees.
The urban forest is essential to Langford’s character, biodiversity, climate resilience, health and well-being. The UFMP will help ensure the community maximizes the benefits supported by the urban forest, providing a framework and specific recommendations designed to achieve fair balance between the diversity of interests held in urban forest management.
Today the federal government also put out a statement about protection of the natural environment in BC, including: “Ensure our cities and towns help nature, through pilot projects in support of the National Program for Ecological Corridors.”
Protection and management:
“Langford Council recognizes the significance of Langford’s urban forest and wishes to formalize its protection and management through the creation of the City’s first Urban Forest Management Plan,” said Langford Mayor Scott Goodmanson.
“This Plan will provide guidance to City staff and Council during future decision-making related to development, infrastructure improvements, and parks planning.”
“I encourage all Langford residents to participate in the public engagement initiatives taking place over the coming months as the UFMP is developed to ensure the Plan truly reflects the needs of the greater community,” said Goodmanson.
Public engagement objectives for this project are to:
- Inform the public about the status of the urban forest, the many benefits the urban forest gives to the community, and the current challenges and opportunities for urban forest management.
- Involve the community in developing a long-term vision for the urban forest and goals for its management.
- Consult the community to find opportunities to preserve and protect, grow, and improve the health of the urban forest.
Phases:
The development of the UFMP is occurring over several phases, including two phases of public engagement.
- The first phase will seek community input and insights to inform the vision and strategic directions for the draft Plan.
- The second phase, targeted for spring 2024, will collect feedback on the drafted Plan.
Inclusive approach:
Overall, the 2022-2026 City of Langford council aims to “create a vibrant, thriving, inclusive and climate resilient community by making informed decisions for current and future generations including residents, businesses, and visitors”. Public input is part of that.
This fall there was input on the council’s draft strategic plan, which enjoyed vigorous input and debate including at the October 23, 2023 City of Langford council meeting.
===== RELATED:
- Langford seeks public input on urban forest management (November 14, 2023)
- Federal $500 million for protection & conservation of BC biodiversity, habitats & species at risk (November 3, 2023)
- Langford council gets blast about strategic plan public input (October 23, 2023)
- Langford strategic plan open house draws steady crowd (October 5, 2023)
- Langford accepting public input on the city’s first strategic plan (October 2, 2023)
- BC launches preparedness plan for heat events (June 8, 2022)
- BC Coroners report on extreme heat deaths dedicated to the victims (June 7, 2022)
- Meteorologist tells UBCM: heat dome was no surprise (September 15, 2021)