If your municipality is going to invest in planting trees in your neighbourhood, why not ask the residents to tell you the best places to put the trees? This is precisely what the City of Burnaby is doing this year as part of their Tree4Free program.
Property owners in Burnaby have the opportunity to beautify their neighbourhoods for free while enhancing the urban canopy throughout the City.
Through Tree4Free, the City’s Parks Department will plant and maintain up to 200 additional boulevard trees each year, on top of the hundreds of trees planted annually through the City’s tree planting program.
Residential and commercial property owners can apply to have a tree planted on City boulevards in front of their properties by completing the form below. Applications will be reviewed by the City Arborist and the requested area will be inspected to ensure trees can be successfully planted. Qualifying boulevards must have a minimum width of 1.6 meters of planting space available.
The Tree4Free program contributes to Burnaby’s goal of maintaining Healthy Ecosystems as outlined in This is Climate Action, a framework developed to guide how the City will put into action its commitment to be “carbon neutral” (no longer contributing to the carbon emissions that accelerate climate change) by 2050. Benefits of enhancing Burnaby’s urban canopy include summer cooling to neighbourhoods and reduced storm water impacts through improved drainage.
If you’re interested in applying, complete the Tree Request Form by April 30, 2021. But maybe you’re just looking to learn how this could be implemented in your city, you can learn more at https://www.burnaby.ca/City-Services/Policies–Projects—Initiatives/Environment/Climate-Action/Quick-Start-Actions/Tree-4-Free.html.
Planting to occur October 2021 – March 2022. Applications are first come, first served. If tree allotment is reached, applicants will be notified and can re-apply in 2022.
