Forest Management Strategy

A decorative image showing a line drawing of downtown Kingston overlaid on a background of trees.

The City of Kingston is developing a Forest Management Strategy for its rural and urban forest and woodland areas. The new Forest Management Strategy will have a 20-year planning horizon that will include a strategic framework detailing policy, procedural, operational and regulatory program adjustments towards the achievement of a community-defined vision. The Forest Management Strategy will help achieve this by:

  • Establishing a community-supported vision for Kingston’s rural and urban forest,
  • Assessing the current state of the City’s rural and urban forest,
  • Summarizing community needs and aspirations, and
  • Developing a framework of goals, strategies, actions, indicators, and targets.

Public engagement will take place throughout April 2025 and will help shape the development of the Forest Management Strategy and learn more about the state of Kingston’s rural and urban forest.

A background review, including baseline forest assessments, is ongoing and will be completed in March 2025. Key findings from the background review will are available in the presentation below and the maps posted in the news feed. The findings will appear again in the Forest Management Strategy itself.


Project Stages

Background information

Kingston’s forests include all trees, forests, green space, soils and ecosystems located within the municipality’s boundary, including those in urban and rural areas, and on public and private land. Trees are important community assets because they provide many environmental, social and economic benefits. Some of these benefits include cooling air temperatures, cleaning air, offering high-quality recreational opportunities and providing habitat for biodiversity.

An infographic showing an urban forest along a scale from urban land uses to rural land uses. On the left side of the image is the St. Lawrence Rive, moving right ornamental trees appear, as it shifts into the urban core and campus, street trees and private trees , appear in the low density residential areas, riparian trees and trees in green infrastructure appear along with park tress in parks, continuing right through industrial land uses and into the natural heritage system trees on conservation authority property are shown along with woodlands and natural ecosystems, moving into the rural and agricultural areas on the right edge of the graphic trees, owned by the province, shelter beds and forest are shown.

Community workshops presentation

Between April 2 and 4 we hosted three facilitated workshops with interested and impacted parties including Indigenous community members, representatives from local community and neighbourhood groups, as well as industry, agency, developers and forestry services. The goal was to introduce the project and hear challenges and opportunities as part of the ongoing public engagement.

The presentation portion of the workshops featured a deep dive into what the Forest Management Strategy is and what the local Kingston context looks like. That presentation is available to view below. A report on what we learned during the workshop is available to read, as are detailed maps from the presentation.



Get Involved and stay informed

Sign up for updates: Use the follow project feature to be added to our newsletter list. You'll receive news and updates as the project progresses and when new content is added to this site.

Highlight important trees and areas: Is there a tree you love? A particular woodland area? Or something unique or special you want the project team to know about? Use the map tool below to Drop a pin or pins on a map and let us know what is special, unique or important about it; you can also include pictures.

Tell us a story: Use the stories tab below to tell us what your vision for the City of Kingston's forest is in 20 years. What does a successful Forest Management Strategy include, and what impact has it had on Kingston by 2045?

Attend an open house: On April 17, drop by the Kingston East Community Centre anytime between 7:15 p.m. and 9 p.m. We'll have project information available, including key findings from the background review and the opportunity to ask questions and provide feedback.

Go for a walk in the woods: Join us on May 6 at City Park at 5:30 p.m. Staff from the City's forestry department will lead a walk through the park to talk about the significance of this mixed urban forest. The starting location within the park is to be confirmed; spaces are limited to 30 so please register for free to confirm your attendance.

Take our survey: This survey asks specific questions about your vision and priorities related to Kingston's forest. The survey closes May 11.


The City of Kingston is developing a Forest Management Strategy for its rural and urban forest and woodland areas. The new Forest Management Strategy will have a 20-year planning horizon that will include a strategic framework detailing policy, procedural, operational and regulatory program adjustments towards the achievement of a community-defined vision. The Forest Management Strategy will help achieve this by:

  • Establishing a community-supported vision for Kingston’s rural and urban forest,
  • Assessing the current state of the City’s rural and urban forest,
  • Summarizing community needs and aspirations, and
  • Developing a framework of goals, strategies, actions, indicators, and targets.

Public engagement will take place throughout April 2025 and will help shape the development of the Forest Management Strategy and learn more about the state of Kingston’s rural and urban forest.

A background review, including baseline forest assessments, is ongoing and will be completed in March 2025. Key findings from the background review will are available in the presentation below and the maps posted in the news feed. The findings will appear again in the Forest Management Strategy itself.


Project Stages

Background information

Kingston’s forests include all trees, forests, green space, soils and ecosystems located within the municipality’s boundary, including those in urban and rural areas, and on public and private land. Trees are important community assets because they provide many environmental, social and economic benefits. Some of these benefits include cooling air temperatures, cleaning air, offering high-quality recreational opportunities and providing habitat for biodiversity.

An infographic showing an urban forest along a scale from urban land uses to rural land uses. On the left side of the image is the St. Lawrence Rive, moving right ornamental trees appear, as it shifts into the urban core and campus, street trees and private trees , appear in the low density residential areas, riparian trees and trees in green infrastructure appear along with park tress in parks, continuing right through industrial land uses and into the natural heritage system trees on conservation authority property are shown along with woodlands and natural ecosystems, moving into the rural and agricultural areas on the right edge of the graphic trees, owned by the province, shelter beds and forest are shown.

Community workshops presentation

Between April 2 and 4 we hosted three facilitated workshops with interested and impacted parties including Indigenous community members, representatives from local community and neighbourhood groups, as well as industry, agency, developers and forestry services. The goal was to introduce the project and hear challenges and opportunities as part of the ongoing public engagement.

The presentation portion of the workshops featured a deep dive into what the Forest Management Strategy is and what the local Kingston context looks like. That presentation is available to view below. A report on what we learned during the workshop is available to read, as are detailed maps from the presentation.



Get Involved and stay informed

Sign up for updates: Use the follow project feature to be added to our newsletter list. You'll receive news and updates as the project progresses and when new content is added to this site.

Highlight important trees and areas: Is there a tree you love? A particular woodland area? Or something unique or special you want the project team to know about? Use the map tool below to Drop a pin or pins on a map and let us know what is special, unique or important about it; you can also include pictures.

Tell us a story: Use the stories tab below to tell us what your vision for the City of Kingston's forest is in 20 years. What does a successful Forest Management Strategy include, and what impact has it had on Kingston by 2045?

Attend an open house: On April 17, drop by the Kingston East Community Centre anytime between 7:15 p.m. and 9 p.m. We'll have project information available, including key findings from the background review and the opportunity to ask questions and provide feedback.

Go for a walk in the woods: Join us on May 6 at City Park at 5:30 p.m. Staff from the City's forestry department will lead a walk through the park to talk about the significance of this mixed urban forest. The starting location within the park is to be confirmed; spaces are limited to 30 so please register for free to confirm your attendance.

Take our survey: This survey asks specific questions about your vision and priorities related to Kingston's forest. The survey closes May 11.


  • Survey

    • Estimated time to complete survey is 20 minutes depending on the length of answers. 
    • Survey closes May 11, 2025 at 11:59 p.m.

    Email getinvolvedkingston@cityofkingston.ca or call 613-546-0000 if you require assistance, an alternate format or accommodation to submit feedback.

    Purpose

    In developing the City's Forest Management Strategy it is important for us to hear from the community about priorities and goals for the future of Kingston's Rural and Urban Forest.

    The survey is divided into four sections: 

    1. Your relationship to Kingston's  Rural and Urban Forest and Strategy – Focuses on how you interact with Kingston's urban forest now, in the present.
    2. Planning for the future – Focuses on what priorities the plan should address and what future state you would like to see.
    3. Tree regulation - Focuses on what rules should be in place regarding trees. 
    4. Demographic Information – Asks you to tell us a bit about yourself.

    Notice of Collection

    All information received will be compiled and considered by staff for use under the purposes of this site. Information will be collected and used in accordance with the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and other relevant privacy legislation. All comments made on this site are available to the public and may form part of public records. 

    The City will give written notice in accordance with the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act to affected persons before granting a request for access to a record created through this survey if it includes personal information that the City has reason to believe might constitute an unjustified invasion of personal privacy. 

    Learn more about the City’s accountability and transparency responsibilities on our website.

    Get Involved Kingston Account

    In order to take this survey you will need to be logged into your Get Involved Kingston account. If you do not have an account you can sign up for one, it’s free and takes less than five minutes. The requirement for an account protects the integrity of the survey process and allows you to receive updates on how the feedback from this survey is used. Additionally, once you have an account you can use it across Get Involved Kingston to participate in a number of other projects and provide feedback.

    Take Survey
Page last updated: 18 Apr 2025, 08:59 AM