Trees improve air quality, minimize noise and dust, reduce storm water runoff, and enhance the urban landscape. Trees also benefit individual property owners by providing privacy, shade, reducing heating and cooling costs, and increasing property values.
The City of Toronto plants and maintains trees on City land, to help grow Toronto’s urban forest and to reach the City’s goal of increasing the tree canopy to 40 per cent by 2050.
The City of Toronto plants and maintains trees on a portion of land between roadways and private property, known as the city road allowance. Every year, the City carefully and strategically plans where trees will be planted. Each potential tree planting location is assessed by staff to determine the best tree species and specific spot for planting.
A property owner can also submit a tree planting request for the City-owned road allowance in front of their home or business by calling 311 or submitting their request online.
The City’s staff will visit the site to confirm the right tree species and determine the ideal planting location. Tree planting takes place in spring or fall.
Species available for planting on the City’s road allowance are listed in the Street Tree Brochure.
The City can recommend that a tree be planted on the City-owned road allowance adjacent to your property. If your address is selected to receive a free tree from the City, you will receive a hand-delivered Notice of Planned Tree Planting in your mailbox or door.
This notice will include:
If you have questions or concerns, or if you wish to cancel a recommended tree planting, call 311 within three weeks from the planned planting date.
On the day of the planting, ensure there is a 1.5-metre by 1.5-metre clearance around the proposed planting site. Remove items like decorative features, flower pots, plants or other objects.
The City of Toronto is not responsible for damages to any private property located on the City-owned road allowance.
Street trees face difficult growing conditions. Help care for a newly planted tree by watering it for the first two to three years while the tree becomes established.
A notice with additional tree care information will be provided at the time of planting.
Other maintenance, such as pruning, fertilizing, or staking, is performed by the City when needed. The City of Toronto maintains trees located on the City-owned road allowance, including proactive inspection and maintenance. However, if tree requires additional maintenance, beyond proactive maintenance, a service request may be submitted through 311 Toronto to have the tree inspected for appropriate action taken by Parks, Forestry and Recreation.
Replacement plantings will be offset from the stump for installation and tree health purposes. The planned location may be moved onsite at the time of planting due to roots, utilities or other underground obstacles.
The species and planting location have been selected through an onsite evaluation of growing factors like:
Visit Species Planted on Streets for information on tree species commonly available for planting by the City of Toronto as street trees.
It is important to care for newly planted trees for the first two to three years while they become established.
In addition to requesting that the City plant a tree on the road allowance in front of your home, there are a number of other ways to get involved. Check out the Urban Forestry Grants and Incentives to see how you can make a difference.
There are many benefits when planting native plants. They are low in cost and maintenance and help sustain local ecosystems. Since ecosystems depend on environmental conditions such as moisture and light, the species below represents a plant community. Choosing plants from the same community will help them to thrive:
Learn about opportunities for tree planting and stewardship in Toronto.
The City of Toronto is implementing a new approach to address inequitable distribution of the urban forest at the community level while working towards the City’s target of 40 per cent canopy cover. Toronto is the first municipality in Canada to utilize a tree equity approach to prioritize canopy growth at the neighbourhood scale. Studies have shown that low tree cover overlaps with socio-economic and environmental needs. The tree equity approach uses several priority or equity factors, together with land cover and population density data, to generate a tree equity score.
The Tree Equity Score Analyzer (TESA) for Toronto is a free online interactive tool available to the public. The development of this tool was a joint effort involving the City of Toronto, American Forests, Local Enhancement and Appreciation of Forests (LEAF), and various local stakeholders from government, environmental, and public health sectors.
The TESA produces scores for each neighbourhood ranging from zero to 100 to represent the levels of tree equity at the community level.
The tool analyzes land cover data with demographic and socio-economic data to identify opportunities for canopy expansion at the neighbourhood scale. The tree equity score indicates whether a neighbourhood has the right number of trees, so that everyone can experience the benefits that trees provide.
The tool allows anyone to develop scenarios for planting strategically in their neighbourhood, and by using the planting forecast feature, lets them understand their potential impact. Local community organizations can use this citizen engagement tool to provide the necessary data to help inform tree planting and stewardship activities in their neighbourhoods.
Explore Toronto’s tree equity score analyzer and learn more about how TESA was developed and how other communities are using it.