THE VALUES AND BENEFITS OF SUSTAINABLY MANAGED FORESTS WHERE PEOPLE FEEL THEM THE MOST
Urban forests that deliver on community priorities start with a clear direction. When we set goals and track impact, we sustain the momentum from planting to growing quality forests. As diverse actors like communities, governments, and funders take an interest in urban forests, at SFI, we care about convening these actors to explore the long-term and responsible management of trees, in places where people need them the most.
On May 7th at the 2026 SFI Annual Conference in Montreal, we welcomed urban forestry supporters across the public, private, academic, and non-profit sectors to discuss strategic approaches for creating and achieving long-term goals. Our day was dedicated to Advancing community priorities with sustainable urban forest management. We invited guests to use the SFI Urban and Community Forest Sustainability Standard as a resource to identify and organize priorities while making connections to everyday work. Our team spoke about how we’re implementing this Standard in the United States and Canada.
With James Lane, Manager of Natural Heritage and Forestry, for Canada’s first SFI certified urban forest at the Regional Municipality of York, we learned how certification and the audit process are used to propel implementation, turning vision into action. For York Region, applying standards and getting audited enables the Region to preserve and to increase forest values like watershed protection and publicly accessible green space for recreation. James Hallworth, Senior Forestry Specialist for Preferred by Nature, a certification body delivering audits to SFI Standards, shared how urban forest certification elevates the social and public health values of trees and green spaces in cities.
“It’s a great opportunity to identify those little things in our program that might get overlooked and pushes us to be better. Certification pushes you from being good, to being great.” James Lane, R.P.F., ISA Certified Arborist, Manager of Natural Heritage and Forestry at The Regional Municipality of York.
The Regional Municipality of York recognized as Canada’s first SFI certified urban forest. Kathy Abusow, Meg Hanna, James Lane (York Region), James Hallworth (Preferred by Nature), Scott Lister (York Region), Janice Lam (York Region/2026 SFI Youth Delegate), Jason Metnick
SFI’s Urban Forestry Day included interactive workshops, designed to grow networks. Through facilitated roundtable discussions, we encouraged guests to connect their experiences to sustainable urban forest management using the five guiding principles of our Standard as a framework. Roundtable discussions revealed common priorities across people and organizations. Participants expressed how they cared about addressing urban heat inequity, sustaining community engagement, and strengthening planning processes so that urban forestry effectively contributes to livable communities. This also includes growing biodiverse spaces rich in appropriate plant species and connected habitats. What emerged most clearly from these conversations was that urban forest managers need long-term funding to support the multi-year commitments that trees and communities deserve. Attendees also spoke about the value of non-profit partnerships in accelerating projects. They recognized that urban forest resources offer an important opportunity to promote circular economies and local jobs while reducing waste.
Our event included roundtable discussions between urban forestry leaders and the next generation of forest and conservation professionals.
Marieke Cloutier and Malin Anagrius of the Green Municipal Fund, a program of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, emphasized the importance of funding urban forest enhancement across Canada.
Thanks to our event partners at the Green Municipal Fund of the Canadian Federation of Municipalities and Tree Canada, we explored different funding opportunities available in Canada to enhance urban forests. Charleen Kotiuga, Advisor for Programs Outreach at the Green Municipal Fund, shared how trees in cities need to be multi-solving, acknowledging that trees are expected to provide multiple benefits to counter the stressors of urban life. We count on urban forests to provide nature-based solutions in urban areas. Brijpal Patel, Chief Program Officer for Tree Canada, reflected on the commitment of urban forestry to improve quality of life on a landscape level, beyond individual projects. Investing in urban forests ensures that the impact of these spaces is felt across generations. By leveraging reliable urban forest data from within organizations, open sources and environmental consultancies, Sylvia Wood, Director of Science for Habitat, demonstrated how evidence-based decision making improves long-term community resilience while elevating the credibility of urban forestry programs.
Our day included a panel on approaches and resources to drive urban forestry outcomes with representatives from the Green Municipal Fund, Tree Canada, and Habitat. From left to right Meg Hanna (SFI), Charleen Kotiuga (Green Municipal Fund), Sylvia Wood (Habitat), Brijpal Patel (Tree Canada).
Although conversations covered multidisciplinary topics, one thing was clear, conference attendees were eager to continue networking and planting the seeds of future collaboration in urban forestry. We were thrilled to bring together leaders and professionals while extending the invitation to SFI Youth Delegates and students. Experiences like this inspire the next generation of forest and conservation leaders to pursue careers in urban forestry. At SFI, we’re committed to mobilizing standards, conservation expertise, environmental education, and community partnerships to grow quality spaces where people and nature connect. With this momentum, we’re supporting communities to turn urban forest vision into sustained action.
We are grateful to all Urban Forestry Day partners, panelists, and facilitators for this meaningful time together.
Learn more about the SFI Urban and Community Forest Sustainability Standard here.
Learn more about the 2026 SFI Annual Conference here.
