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.


  • Maps

    Maps tell a visual story and are vital for work in forest management. The maps below were presented as part of the community workshops and open house held in April and are forming part of the background data for the development of the strategy.

    If you would like more context, please watch the presentation about the Forest Management Strategy on Youtube.

    Canopy cover general

    A generalized view of the City of Kingston's canopy cover across urban and rural areas.

    mapping of canopy cover in the City of Kingston.Canopy cover by Census dissemination area

    Mapping of the percentage of canopy cover in the City of Kingston summarized at the Census dissemination area scale (as presented in the 2021 Canadian Census). It allows us to relate sociodemographic information to canopy cover distribution. This will be undertaken as part of the development of the Forest Management Strategy.


    Mapping of percentage of canopy cover in the City of Kingston summarized at the Census dissemination area scale (as presented in the 2021 Canadian Census). It allows us to relate sociodemographic information to canopy cover distribution. This will be undertaken as part of the development of the Forest Management Strategy.

    Land surface temperature by Census dissemination area

    Mapping of land surface temperatures in the City of Kingston during a particularly hot July day in 2023. Comparing land surface temperatures to canopy cover distribution provides a visual representation of just one of the benefits of Kingston’s rural and urban forest - heat reduction.

    Mapping of land surface temperatures in the City of Kingston during a particularly hot July day in 2023. Comparing land surface temperatures to canopy cover distribution provides a visual representation of just one of the benefits of Kingston’s rural and urban forest- heat reduction.

    Land surface temperature

    Similar to the map above this one shows land surface temperatures on a hot day in July, however, the values are shown as generalized across the area rather than by Census dissemination Area.

    Similar to the map above this one shows land surface temperatures on a hot day in July, however, the values are shown as generalized across the area rather than by Census dissemination Area.

    Planting opportunities

    Mapping of the percentage of land available for tree planting. Comparing rural and urban forest canopy to area available for planting allows us to consider where tree canopy is presently low, and contrast that against where there might be areas readily available for planting. Where to best plant trees is a more complex consideration, encompassing land use planning, property ownership, traffic, and so on. The City will be considering these through the development of its Forest Management Strategy.

    Mapping of the percentage of land available for tree planting. Comparing rural and urban forest canopy to area available for planting allows us to consider where tree canopy is presently low, and contrast that against where there might be areas readily available for planting. Where to best plant trees is a more complex consideration, encompassing land use planning, property ownerships, traffic, and so on. The City will be considering these through the development of its Forest Management Strategy.

    Watersheds

    Mapping of City of Kingston’s woodland cover by watershed areas. Watersheds in yellow, orange, or red have a woodland cover below 30% within the areas of the watershed inside Kingston’s jurisdictional area. Those with different shades of green have a woodland cover greater than 30% within the areas of the watershed inside Kingston’s jurisdictional area. The pie charts communicate how much of a watershed is outside of the City of Kingston (white pie ‘slice’), how much of a watershed is woodland cover and within the City of Kingston (green pie ‘slice’), and how much of a watershed is non-woodland cover and within the City of Kingston (grey pie ‘slice’). Pies with very large white ‘slices’ are watersheds whose area is mostly outside of the City’s jurisdiction. Pies with large green and grey ‘slices’ are mostly within the City’s jurisdiction. Large grey ‘slices’ and a watershed coloured in red, orange, or yellow, is indicative of a watershed below 30% woodland cover and mostly within the City. These include watersheds like Little Cataraqui Creek, Inner Harbour – Cataraqui River, and Mud Creek.

    Mapping of City of Kingston’s woodland cover by watershed areas. Watersheds in yellow, orange, or red have a woodland cover below 30% within the areas of the watershed inside Kingston’s jurisdictional area. Those with different shades of green have a woodland cover greater than 30% within the areas of the watershed inside Kingston’s jurisdictional area. The pie charts communicate how much of a watershed is outside of the City of Kingston (white pie ‘slice’), how much of a watershed is woodland cover and within the City of Kingston (green pie ‘slice’), and how much of a watershed is non-woodland cover and within the City of Kingston (grey pie ‘slice’). Pies with very large white ‘slices’ are watersheds whose area is mostly outside of the City’s jurisdiction. Pies with large green and grey ‘slices’ are mostly within the City’s jurisdiction. Large grey ‘slices’ and a watershed coloured in red, orange, or yellow, is indicative of a watershed below 30% woodland cover and mostly within the City. These include watersheds like Little Cataraqui Creek, Inner Harbour – Cataraqui River, and Mud Creek.


  • What we learned: Community Workshops

    Between April 2 and April 4, 2025 the City of Kingston hosted three community workshops regarding the Forest Management Strategy. The aim of these workshops was to bring together interested and affected community members to introduce the Forestry Management Strategy project.

    There was a presentation led by the project’s consultants Diamond Head, followed by a question and answer opportunity about the methodology and project process. After that a facilitated discussion took place to hear from community about what was working, what could be improved and what ideas the City should research and consider.

    The presentation from the workshops is available to view on YouTube.

    What we learned is below. These findings will help inform the Forest management Strategy and it’s policy.

    What we learned

    Summaries from the discussion portion from each workshop are below.

    Workshop 1: Indigenous perspectives

    Trees as living relatives: Participants emphasized that Indigenous communities view trees as living relatives who hold traditional knowledge and are vital survival and well-being. Approaching forest management as a reciprocal relationship rather than viewing it as asset management or resource management. Prioritizing the health of trees and forests is vital for community health and well-being.

    Indigenous participation and stewardship: Strong support for the City to decolonize forest management through Indigenous participation was expressed. This included land back for Indigenous stewardship and the support for Indigenous community members to spend time on the land and forests including committing resources to help Indigenous people get to know their relatives and ancestors (trees and forests) so they can learn to care for them as well as supporting youth mentorship programs and cultural conservancies.

    Working with community and relationship building: There is a strong desire for the City to build long-term relationships with nations allowing more time and confidence to contribute more to plans like the Forest Management Strategy. Participants also wanted to see ongoing long-term relationships with community like All Our Relations Land trust, Little Forest Kingston, and the Kingston Native Centre and Language Nest to support cultural life and Indigenous knowledge. This also included community engagement with developers and Indigenous peoples to support the rural and urban forests.

    Ecological and climate: Healthy forests are seen as critical for climate resilience and an opportunity to protect and support local ecosystems. Participants wanted tree planting to make sure the right trees are planted in the right places so they will succeed and to consider other options like native plants, hedgerows, or pollinator meadows where trees won’t be successful. Participants strongly supported the removal of invasive species of tree.

    Policy and legislation: Existing bylaws and policies are seen as favouring development over tree retention or replacement and so there is a strong desire to see these revisited to prioritize more retention and protection of existing trees and sustainable development. Site development guidelines to address rainwater management and treed areas as well as design. There was also interest in the City addressing loopholes landowners temporarily plant corn on a site, allowing for tree removal, before changing the use from agricultural to development. While participants favoured strengthening existing policy tools they wanted the City to be careful with any private tree bylaws not to negatively impact low-income or new homeowners and to provide support for them with tree care and to not over legislate but to look for community solutions and incentives. Greater transparency from the City Council regarding development and impacts on trees

    Incentives for canopy growth: There was a strong desire to see the City expand incentives and partnerships to increase tree planting and maintenance including partnering with community groups already engaged in this work to support them. Other ideas included looking for way to incentive converting low-production agriculture lands to woodland cover encouraging lawn replacement.

    Workshop 2: Community and neighbourhood groups

    Ecosystem-Centered and Holistic Approach: Participants emphasized the importance of adopting an ecosystem-based approach to Rural and Urban Forest management. They expressed a desire for integrating ecological corridors into the Forest Management Strategy.

    Balancing Development and Protecting Existing Trees: Strong support was expressed for policies that protect existing trees and woodlands during development. Participants recommended that new developments include parkland and align with the 3-30-300 rule, which recommends that every home, school, or workplace have view of at least 3 trees, have 30% tree canopy cover within the neighbourhood, and be within 300 meters of a green space.

    Private Land By-Laws: There was strong backing for the introduction of private tree by-laws to encourage landowners to protect and maintain trees on their properties. The cities of Oakville and Toronto were suggested as successful examples of implantation.

    Incentivizing Best Practices: Alongside by-laws, there was a call for policies that encourage best practices on private land. These policies might cover areas such as lawn maintenance, and how individuals can manage their properties to support the broader ecosystem

    Building a Community Culture that Supports the RUF: There was a desire to cultivate a community culture that values and supports trees, encouraging residents to take pride in their local tree canopy and contribute to its preservation. This includes educating citizens and implementing policies that promote best practices for managing the RUF in a holistic manner.

    Supporting Capacity Development: Participants advocated for funding to support RUF care, with an emphasis on building expertise within the city. This includes hiring more tree experts and providing education for by-law officers.

    Expanding the Tree Canopy through Community Programs: Participants suggested various programs to help expand and enhance the city’s tree canopy, such as community gardens, Little Forest programs, community nurseries, and pocket forest initiatives. Exploring potential land acquisition for tree planting was also seen as a promising way to increase the RUF.

    Learning from Other Cities: Examples from other cities, such as Summit Circle in Montreal, Victoriaville and Reforest London, were mentioned as potential models for Kingston to follow.

    Kingston as a Leader in Forest Management: The workshop concluded with the recognition that great cities are built around strong, thriving urban forests, such as those in London and New York. Participants expressed a clear desire for Kingston to position itself as a local leader through the sustainable management of the Rural Urban Forest.

    Workshop 3: Industry, agencies and development

    Balancing Needs: Identifying tree disservices, such as poorly located trees and balancing risk management, legislative development, and canopy growth. Ensuring costs and resourcing are matched to the plan proposal.

    Environmental challenges and forest management: Challenges with the Limestone bedrock close to the surface and clay soil can be challenging for tree growth. Participants recommended a focus on species selection that will work in the soil conditions here. They also suggested other practices like succession planting and careful selection of planting locations valuing location quality over quantity.

    Community engagement and activation: Working with community groups to leverage local expertise regarding invasive species management, tree management and planting was strongly supported. As well as developing incentives including financial incentives, for private landowners to plant more tress and support them in retaining existing trees.

    Policy and legislative tools: Participants discussed the limitations of the planning act and current tree bylaw and expressed there was strong desire to see protections put in place. This included applying the City’s tree permit process to all private landowners, and a strong desire to see rules requiring developers to retain more trees, create tree protection plans earlier in the development process, to involve arborists in their plans and to use new innovative ways to retain trees during construction. Cost, resourcing and current response times for permit processing were raised as concerns.

    Innovation and creative solutions: Thinking outside of traditional policy tools was another topic that had strong support. This included looking at buying up land as available to create small forest lots throughout the city. Better coordination between utilities transit and other right of way stakeholders to create planting corridors and reduce conflict between infrastructure and trees, or reducing road widths to allow space for trees and infrastructure. Green infrastructure was also suggested in places where traditional tree planting might not be feasible, including green roofs.

    Other case studies: Participants pointed to a number of other jurisdictions around the world as examples the City should learn from as it relates to tree protection in development from including more generally Europe for advanced planting and maintenance practices as well as the UK for tree preservation requirements in development. Specific examples included the Town of Oakville for its calculation of tree canopy needs in development applications, Brooklyn Pier Park and Toronto’s Leslie Street Lookout for selective naturalization to reduce maintenance and Hamilton’s project to convert some surface parking lots to green spaces.

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