Tree and Forest Canopy

Tree and Forest Canopy Summary Report

• Introduction

  Niagara's landscape is rich in diversity, encompassing a blend of urban and rural areas along with a variety of natural features such as woodlands, wetlands, beaches, and grasslands.

  However, like numerous municipalities across Ontario, this diverse landscape and the interconnected human and ecological systems it supports are confronting escalating challenges.

  Escalating challenges

  • Growing population demands
  • Intensifying development pressures
  • Transformation by a changing climate

  As these issues persist, the role trees and forests have in fostering a healthy and resilient region becomes increasingly important. As integral components of Niagara's green infrastructure, trees deliver a wide array of ecosystem services.

  Environmental benefits

  Niagara's green infrastructure depends on trees to provide environmental benefits, including:

  • Provide shade and shield from wind
  • Regulate summer temperatures
  • Assist in effective stormwater management
  • Filter airborne pollutants
  • Safeguard water quality
  • Support biodiversity by providing habitats for various species
  • Stabilize soils and prevent erosion

  How to help our trees

  • Plant native trees
  • Protect existing trees
  • Water young trees during periods of low rainfall
  • Protect tree stems and roots from damage during construction and landscaping
  • Respect tree by-laws
  • Participate in community tree planting events
  • Consider transplanting instead of removing trees
• Land classifications

  Tree and forest canopy

  Tree and forest canopy account for 25.4 per cent of the region's total land area. This equates to a total of 46,789 hectares of area covered by tree canopy.

  Soil and bareland

  Makes up the largest land cover class at 39.3 per cent and includes agricultural lands. Although this class incorporates some non-agricultural bare soil area like construction sites, it also underscores the substantial agricultural presence in the region.

  Buildings

  Occupy 2.5 per cent of the region's land area. These surfaces serve as critical indicators of urbanization and development.

  Impervious cover

  Covers 6.1 per cent of the region's land area, including constructed surfaces that prevent the infiltration of water into the soil. They include paved areas, such as roads, sidewalks, driveways and parking lots. These surfaces serve as critical indicators of urbanization and development.

  Grass and non-treed vegetation

  Covers 26.7 per cent of the region's land area, including manicured grass, pasture, shrubs and all non-treed vegetation less than three metres in height. These areas provide various environmental benefits, including soil erosion control and improved water infiltration, while also enhancing the aesthetic appeal of the landscape.

• Distribution of canopy cover

  The distribution of tree and forest canopy coverage across the region is not uniform, due to variations in landscape characteristics and land use patterns.

  Examples of factors that impact the landscape:

  • Urbanization
  • Agricultural activities
  • Natural features

  As a result, certain areas have denser tree coverage than others.

  The data from the tree and forest canopy assessment can be analyzed at different geographic scales, and in combination with other land use information to better understand the differences in canopy distribution. In addition, it informs conservation and management strategies to enhance overall tree canopy health and coverage across the landscape.

  Canopy coverage by municipality

  Tree canopy distribution varies between the municipalities in Niagara, reflecting the differences in their landscapes, demographics and economic activities.

  Overall, six of the municipalities have a higher canopy coverage than the regional average, with Fort Erie having the highest percentage of canopy cover in the region at 35 per cent.

  • Fort Erie - 35 per cent
  • Pelham - 31 per cent
  • Niagara Falls - 31 per cent
  • Port Colborne - 28 per cent
  • Thorold - 27 per cent
  • Wainfleet - 26 per cent
  • Grimsby - 24 per cent
  • St. Catharines - 22 per cent
  • Welland - 22 per cent
  • Lincoln - 22 per cent
  • West Lincoln - 22 per cent
  • Niagara-on-the-Lake -18 per cent

  Land cover classification by municipality

  As expected, predominantly rural municipalities have the highest percentage of soil and bareland.

  In West Lincoln, this land cover class constitutes 58.1 per cent of the land area. Rural municipalities also had the lowest percentage of grass and non-treed vegetation land cover.

  More urbanized municipalities, with larger populations, have the highest coverage of grass and non-treed vegetation. Impervious cover is also highest in these municipalities, particularly in St. Catharines, Niagara Falls and Welland.

• Canopy benefits

  Among the many benefits trees provide, key services include:

  Improved air quality

  Increased canopy cover can filter pollutants and improve air quality, positively impacting respiratory health.

  Each year, the region's trees and forests absorb an estimated 2,757.7 metric tons of air pollutants, including carbon monoxide, ozone, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide through their leaves. Additionally, they produce and release approximately 240.6 metric kilotons of oxygen every year.

  Carbon capture and storage

  Trees act as natural carbon stores by capturing carbon dioxide and storing it in their biomass. Trees accumulate more carbon as they grow, which is why mature trees are important carbon stores.

  Trees in Niagara capture 330.9 metric kilotons of carbon dioxide equivalent each year and store 15,639.2 metric kilotons of carbon dioxide equivalent.

  Providing shade and reducing energy use

  Climate change means the risk of more frequent, persistent and intense heat events will increase in some areas. Increased canopy cover can reduce overall temperatures in the summer as well as reduce humidex values during a heat wave.

  Strategically planted trees can lower indoor temperatures and reduce the need for air conditioning. In winter, trees planted as windbreaks can reduce heat loss from buildings and lower home heating bills.

  Absorbing stormwater and improving water quality

  Significant surface runoff from storm events can occur where impervious surfaces are the primary land cover.

  Surface runoff in urbanized areas can gather surface pollutants and deposit them into adjacent aquatic ecosystems. Surface runoff may also cause channels to exceed capacity causing flooding.

  Tree canopies intercept precipitation, lessening and slowing runoff, while the roots of trees promote infiltration and water storage in the soil, also reducing flood risks.

  Avoided surface runoff is calculated based on the amount of rainfall intercepted by leaves. The total avoided surface runoff from Niagara's tree and forest canopy is estimated to be 598,000 cubic metres every year.

  Improved mental and physical health

  Studies have demonstrated that increased canopy cover and access to greenspace improve physical, emotional, mental and social well-being.

  Regularly spending time near trees and greenspace has been linked to improved mental health. It can reduce stress, anxiety and depression, while promoting a sense of well-being.

  Access to greenspace also encourages physical activity, such as walking, running or cycling; leading to a more active lifestyle. This reduces the risk of chronic diseases, including heart disease and diabetes.

  Providing wildlife habitat

  Trees and shrubs can support a wide diversity of wildlife, including birds, pollinators and other insects. Many different types of animals depend on trees for food, water, or places to raise their young. Trees can also be used for resting, shelter and as a place from which to hunt or capture prey.

  Standing dead and dying trees or trees with dead branches, are important for wildlife in both natural and landscaped settings. Birds, small mammals and other wildlife use these trees for nests, nurseries, storage areas, foraging, roosting and perching.

• Challenges

  The estimated replacement value of all trees in Niagara, which represents the local cost of replacing a tree with a similar tree, is approximately $11 billion.

  Threats to Niagara's tree and forest canopy, include susceptibility to pests and disease, stresses associated with climate change, invasive plant species and changes in land use.

  Invasive plant species

  Invasive non-native vegetation is considered a significant threat to biodiversity and can severely impact the regeneration of native vegetation in treed areas.

  Several non-native vegetation species have capabilities to out compete native plants for nutrients and water. They may establish quickly in areas where there has been native tree-die off (such as ash dominant forests) and suppress the regeneration and growth of native tree species, thereby reducing native tree and forest canopy cover.

  Climate change

  Climate change has the potential to significantly impact Niagara's tree and forest canopy, affecting structure, health, distribution and ecological function. The specific impacts of climate change vary depending on factors, such as geography, existing species compositions, and the prevalence of pests and disease.

  Negative impacts include:

  • Increased water stress in trees from prolonged drought conditions, causing wilt and increased susceptibility to pests and disease
  • Climate facilitated increased expansion and movement of pests into Niagara
  • Altered phenology, such as the timing of leaf emergence, flowering and leaf fall. This can disrupt the interactions between tree species and organisms that rely on these temporal cycles.
  • Increased wildfire risk from dry forest conditions

  Pests and diseases

  The most significant pests and diseases affecting Niagara's tree and forest canopy, include longstanding pests such as the Spongy Moth and Emerald Ash Borer.

  Additionally, potential future threats come from Oak Wilt and the Spotted Lanternfly. The Spotted Lanternfly primarily poses a threat to grapevines and orchards.

  Without early detection and rapid response, these pests can lead to high tree mortality, severe declines in native tree species and substantial economic losses to agricultural operations.

• Conclusion and next steps

  The tree and forest canopy assessment offers critical data to understand Niagara's existing canopy.

  It not only provides a baseline to inform planning and urban forestry management decisions, but it also underlines the significant value of Niagara's trees and the importance of maintaining and increasing canopy throughout the region.

  Our next steps

  • Niagara Region will continue to analyze the study data and share findings with local municipalities and the public
  • Staff will integrate the data into planning and decision-making
  • Data will support tree planting and protection programs on Regional properties

Download the full Tree and Forest Canopy Summary Report.

Culture and Environment

• Climate Change
• Tree and Forest Canopy
• Tree and Forest Conservation
• Archaeology in Niagara
• Complete Streets