Public engagement opportunities for Burlington’s woodlands

*Please see below a news release issued from the City of BurlingtonThe City of Burlington is seeking community input to help inform a Woodland Management Strategy (WMS). The WMS will, for the first time, provide comprehensive 20-year strategic direction for the management of all City-owned woodlands. These woodlands cover more than 300 hectares of land. Ultimately, the WMS will help preserve and grow the city’s woodlands and will provide:

• information on the current state of Burlington’s woodlands
• a long-term vision for the City’s woodlands
• city-wide woodland management goals, funding requirements, recommendations, and targets
• forest management plans are operational documents guiding management activities for specific woodlands within the bounds of the WMS

Residents can learn about the project and provide feedback that will inform goals, targets and funding priorities. This includes financial and community investment into environmental protection for reducing floods, invasive species, green infrastructure and reducing our carbon footprint.There are multiple opportunities for people and professionals to provide input into the plan.All opportunities are available at getinvolvedburlington.ca/wms. To receive updates on the project as well as the events, please subscribe to the page.Locate a woodlandVisit getinvolvedburlington.ca/wms to submit an area you value in Burlington’s public woodlands, or places where you would like improvements to be made within woodlands. Residents can upload comments and photos and see what others have posted. The City will be collecting your urban woodland locations now until Sept. 29, 2022.Virtual Public Information CentreAttend the online public information centre on Sept. 14, 2022 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. to learn more about the state of Burlington’s woodlands and ask questions about the Woodland Management Strategy. The public information centre will be hosted via Zoom and pre-registration at getinvolvedburlington.ca/wms is required.Woodland walkOn Sept. 17, 2022 from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m., the City and the Woodland Management Strategy project team will be leading a walk through Tansley Woods, starting at the rear of the Tansley Woods Recreation Centre parking lot, 1996 Itabashi Way. This walk offers a chance to learn about the current challenges that the City is facing in the management of its woodlands. Participants can also ask your questions about the woodlot management strategy. Please be at Tansley Woods by no later than 9:15 a.m. on Sept.17; late arrivals may miss the walk. Walking or hiking shoes are encouraged.RSVP your attendance at getinvolvedburlington.ca/wms.For more information on this project and any of the events, visit getinvolvedburlington.ca/wms.Burlington is a city where people, nature and businesses thrive. Sign up to learn more about Burlington at burlington.ca/subscribe and follow @CityBurlington on social media.Quick FactsHow will the Woodland Management Strategy relate to the Urban Forest Master Plan?The City’s Urban Forest Master Plan (UFMP) will provide the strategic direction to manage the urban forest in response to new problems facing urban trees and their management. While woodlands are an important part of Burlington’s urban forest, the City’s urban forest also includes a range of other urban tree types, including street trees, park trees, and trees growing on private property. The UFMP will provide management direction related to all of these urban forest components. The Woodland Management Strategy will play an important part in achieving the overall goals and objectives of the UFMP.What are woodlands?Generally, the term woodland is used to refer to groupings of self-seeded trees, growing under ‘natural’ forest conditions. Ontario’s Forestry Act defines woodlands as supporting a density of at least 250 established (20-centimeter trunk diameter) trees per hectare. Groups of trees featuring smaller diameter trees could still meet the qualities of a woodland, consistent with the definition in the Forestry Act, but would also need to feature a higher tree density.

“The City of Burlington owns and is responsible for the management of more than 300 hectares of woodlands. This Woodland Management Strategy will, for the first time, deliver a coordinated 20-year strategy and supporting management plans for individual woodlands. The Strategy will offer the comprehensive direction necessary to properly inform management of woodland health and diversity, risk, resilience, and sustainable practices.” - Steve Robinson, Manager of Forestry