Urban Forestry

Trees are a critical part of our urban landscapes. They provide far more than just aesthetics, contributing a range of environmental, social, and economic benefits. Urban forests help cool our homes, trap rainwater, clean the air, and improve our quality of life.

RPM Ecosystems Canada is committed to restoring our urban forests with native trees grown from the best available seed sources. We are creating long-term, strategic alliances with municipalities, conservation authorities, not-for-profit and community groups to work together to enhance community forest resources. We encourage you to read the case study below to learn how RPM trees can help stretch your budget dollars further.

For groups interested in planting rare or challenging species, particularly hardwoods, RPM Ecosystems can provide trees that thrive in tough urban environments. Traditional ball-and-burlap trees have been dug from the ground, shearing off much of the root system. A 7-foot ball-and-burlap tree usually requires two full growing season before it has acclimatized to its new surroundings and can start to grow again. It is during these first two seasons that urban tree mortality is highest, leading to significant time and money spent on replanting.

In contrast, RPM trees planted in the Fall start growing the following Spring, with survivability upwards of 95%. Even in drought conditions, RPM trees have been shown to withstand the harsh effects of the urban heat island. The rapid growth of RPM trees leads to greater canopy cover much sooner, providing much needed shade during the hottest months of July and August.

Extensive root systems help absorb rainwater, which reduces the burden on the sewer system and the natural waterways flowing through our town and cities. In summary, RPM trees offer:

greater survival rates in harsh urban environments
rapid growth, leading to canopy cover within 10 years
truly native species, grown from the best available local seed sources

Case Study: Using Smaller Caliper Trees for Residential Planting

A common challenge with urban tree planting programs is adequate funding. Limited municipal budgets result in planting that falls far short of demand on a yearly basis. With larger caliper trees costing upwards of $300 to purchase and install, funding can quickly be absorbed.

It is widely accepted that smaller caliper trees should not be used in urban planting for two reasons. The first is that the majority of urban dwellers are impatient for their tree to mature.

If a homeowner has lost a 100-year old tree from their property, replacing it with a 3 to 4 foot tree is a tough sell. The second reason is the threat of vandalism. If a tree is small, it is more likely to be targeted and the stem irreparably broken.

In the face of these two objections, RPM Ecosystems went ahead and conducted a residential trial to test the truth behind these assumptions. In a mid-sized city, 30 RPM trees were planted in a middle class neighbourhood, each no higher than 1.5 meters and no thicker than 12mm. While residents were skeptical of the smaller sized trees, the significant growth achieved in just 1 summer convinced them otherwise.

As for vandalism, only 1 tree was lost to a purposeful attack. Unlike trees on public right-of-ways, trees planted on private property are generally very well cared for, and the pilot test was no exception. All trees received adequate watering during the dry weeks of mid-summer, and many residents erected barriers to further protect their tree.

So instead of spending $9000 or more to install larger caliper trees, the pilot project cost just $500 with very favourable results. C ontact us to learn how RPM Ecosystems can work with you to meet your urban forestry goals.