A local tree canopy advocate said that the 2024 changes to citywide rezoning did not directly leave Calgary with a decrease in trees, but that it happened anyway due to inadequate enforcement.

During one of hundreds of presentations to the city council during the week-long public hearing to repeal blanket rezoning, volunteer Rob Miller made his case on behalf of the Calgary Climate Hub.

On the morning of March 30, Miller said that tree-planting requirements are currently in place, but that, with the city’s canopy averaging eight per cent and in decline, this is evidence of poor attention to detail. 

According to the active Land Use Bylaw, there are requirements for low-density areas, called residential-grade oriented infills, or RC-Gs, that state a minimum number of trees must be planted on a unit or parcel, depending on the dwelling type.

In some cases, like for smaller properties such as single, semi-detached, or duplex dwellings, the bylaw allows for trees to be planted on the boulevard near the property to make up for one not fitting adjacent to the parcel itself. 

However, Miller said that, as a resident of the Ward 1 community of Bowness, he has rarely seen these exceptions come to fruition, and that the same holds true for the preservation of existing trees. 

“In my own neighbourhood, I would have to say that the blanket rezoning is actually resulting in less trees,” he said in an interview with LWC.

“Really, it comes down to enforcing the existing bylaw to make sure that they plant what’s required.”

Additionally, Miller said that for the city to reach its goal of increasing tree canopy coverage to 16 per cent by 2050, the rezoning bylaw should be updated to require more trees to be planted on each lot.

“We need to support it, but with improvements,” he said. 

“This means that we need to monitor and enforce the tree requirements that are in the Land Use Bylaw, and we could increase those tree requirements. That would be beneficial for everyone.”

City councillors react to canopy conversations 

Given that a majority of Calgary’s land is privately owned, the city has made efforts to increase planting on residential properties, namely through its Branching Out program, which provides community members with free saplings. 

In 2024, Calgary’s tree canopy was measured at just over nine per cent. Miller stressed that, with the city far from hitting its target, the updated bylaw should put additional pressure on planting on private property, which is the solution he gave to Ward 7 Coun. Mike Atkinson during questions at the hearing.

“I believe that the tree requirement should be the same, regardless of whether it’s a low-density or a high-density,” said Miller. 

“If you have neighbourhoods where there’s less than two per cent tree canopy, then there should be a focused effort on planting more trees there, and this needs to happen on private property as well.”

Ward 5 Coun. Raj Dhaliwal referenced the Taradale neighbourhood, where the tree canopy is less than two per cent, citing that much of its development occurred in the early 2000s. He asked what the solution is for mitigating tree loss in under-construction areas. 

“There’s got to be some sort of a replacement ratio in place, and land use should be a requirement to put certain trees,” he said. 

Miller said that although the current bylaw states replacements are needed, it is not always followed. He recommended keeping an up-to-date inventory of these trees so they can be replanted on a nearby street or in a city-owned park. 

“I think it would be appropriate to do that through a bylaw,” said Miller. 

“The administration of Calgary parks and urban forestry should have some good ideas on how that can be done, but they need direction.”