Monthly Archives: June 2014

Urban forests: the value of trees in the City of Toronto

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This report by TD economics appraises the value of some of the ecosystem services provided by Toronto’s urban forest. Values are capitalized for the entire urban forest, and per-tree, and also reported as an annual flow for the entire urban forest and per tree and per household. The report concludes that “Urban forests do more than beautify the scenery. They represent an important investment in environmental condition, human health and the overall quality of life.” It compares the value of its services to the value of its management, to yield a conclusion that “every dollar spent on maintenance returns $1.35-$3.20 worth of benefits to residents of the City of Toronto.” (Available in English and in French)

Canadian Nature Survey

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This document reports the results of a 2012 mail and web survey of Canadians about their awareness, participation, and expenditures in nature-based recreation, conservation, and subsistence activities. Most results are broken out by province, including Ontario which had a sample of 2011 address-based responses and 4,584 web responses for a combined sample of 5,595 people. Of note is data about respondents’ awareness of “ecosystem services” and whether they had been directly affected by the loss of an ecosystem service. Results provide insights into how Canadians obtain information about nature, and with information about perceptions, could be useful to help inform communications. (Available in English and French)