Cool Trees in The City (of Toronto)

06/19/24 • 49 min

When we think of forest management and forestry, we often conjure up images of large swaths of untouched land with trees that span for kilometres on end. But did you know that forest management can play an important role in cities too? The shade of a tree canopy provides cooling in the city and trees help manage drought and floods. This week we sit down with Kim Statham, the City of Toronto’s Director of Urban Forestry to learn more.
Kim talks about what urban forestry is and her office’s role of managing, stewarding, and developing programming for Toronto’s urban forest. We discuss some of the challenges the city’s canopy is facing, what opportunities are available, and the programs the city is undertaking to meet its canopy cover goals and promote the urban landscape’s biodiversity and climate resilience.
Check out Toronto's Tree City of the World Award news release.
Make sure to check out the show notes on the podcast webpage for more links and helpful resources.
You can help this community grow by sharing the podcast with your friends.

Support the show

https://wildlandsleague.org/theclearcut/

Support the show

https://wildlandsleague.org/theclearcut/

Previous Episode

Canada's Forest Fibre Grab

We return this week with journalist Joan Baxter, who dives deeper into her work for the Deforestation Inc. investigative series that showcases reporting from 300 journalists worldwide. Joan shares with us her findings on ecologically destructive practices hidden behind sustainability claims.
We learn about how Joan's investigation into Canada’s logging industry helped uncover a web of corporate consolidation that has been aided by funding from taxpayers. We also discuss her book, The Mill: Fifty Years of Pulp and Protest, the story of taxpayer support for the Northern Pulp Mill in Nova Scotia and its history of “environmental racism” and public protests.
Check out The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists' Deforestation Inc. series and read Joan's article in the Halifax Examiner.
Make sure to check out the show notes on the podcast webpage for more links and helpful resources.
You can help this community grow by sharing the podcast with your friends.

Support the show

https://wildlandsleague.org/theclearcut/

Next Episode

Toronto: Tree City of the World

This week we return to our conversation with the City of Toronto’s Director of Urban Forestry, Kim Statham. Last episode we talked about some of the challenges and opportunities facing Toronto’s urban forest, but this episode we take a step back, and contextualize these issues more broadly. Kim discusses Toronto’s participation in the United Nations Environment Program, where cities from around the world collaborate to promote ecological restoration and facilitate knowledge exchange.
In addition to the role cities play on the international stage to reach our climate and biodiversity goals, Kim explains how subnational governments can contribute through building both physical ecological corridors and relational ones. We also learn about how Toronto’s approach to urban forestry has earned its status as a leader in this arena.
Check out Toronto's Tree City of the World Award news release.
Make sure to check out the show notes on the podcast webpage for more links and helpful resources.
You can help this community grow by sharing the podcast with your friends.

Support the show

https://wildlandsleague.org/theclearcut/