I recently attended a meeting with all the Community Forest Managers of Ontario. This group gets together once a year to listen to speakers, tour a few sites, and discuss issues that have or may arise. This year we met in Aurora and toured some of York Region’s forests as they celebrate their 100th year of forest management.
One of the presentations this year was given by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI). Until listening to this speaker, I thought the SFI was just a certifying body for forests that qualified, similar to that of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). At one time the forests that I worked were certified under FSC, which seemed to cover more southern Ontario forests than SFI.
This forest certification is meant to reassure the public that forests are being managed sustainably and all involved are treated fairly, as the auditors for the certifying body will conduct site visits, hold interviews, and dig deep into a company’s paperwork following international standards. This was of course an incredibly simplified explanation of my opinion of their programs.
Apparently, SFI is much more than a certifying body. The speaker was on the agenda with a topic of Growing Sustainable Forests for Liveable Communities: Using the SFI Urban and Community Forest Sustainability Standard. While the talk did focus on the Community Forest
Sustainability Standard for much of the time, there was a term used that I had never heard before,”tree equity”.
Of course, I know what a tree is and I know that the word equity can be used with different meanings. In this case, the reference to equity is not about the value of ownership, but about fairness to all. As we live in such a natural and tree-filled part of Ontario, I have never once given thought to this as a necessity to be discussed. I am fairly certain that I have written about the scientific proof that being near to or able to see trees aid in a person’s health and well-being. 
The idea of tree equity takes this information to a different level. If we know that trees are good for human health, why don’t we try to ensure that all people have equal access to trees? Is this even something that people in our part of Ontario need to worry about? Do we have the power or desire to help people internationally in establishing trees?
The World Health Organization (WHO) makes the recommendation that all urban residents should have access to at least 0.5 hectares (1.23 acres) of green space within 300 meters (1014 feet) of their home. Again, living where I do, I find it hard to imagine that this recommendation was even worth writing. This is probably an important time to mention that I don’t travel a lot.
Studies have shown that in many countries, on average, there are far fewer trees and green space in impoverished neighbourhoods and that those neighbourhoods of the wealthy have a greater number of green spaces and trees than average. Until the term  ‘tree equity’ was thrown at me, I hadn’t been aware of these facts or I had forgotten.
The studies show that people who live within the parameters of the WHOs recommended green spaces have many benefits. Not only do they filter the air and water while providing habitat for many species, they help people in ways that are difficult to measure. These tree benefits may help to alleviate some of the difficulties that impoverished people and families face. It is noted that school children have better behaviour when they have more exposure to green spaces. This may be because overall, trees and nature can help alleviate anxiety and depression.
Trees are noted to boost people's feelings of well-being and happiness. I often readily admit that I feel much better when I take a walk through a forest, but I really just thought that this was a “me” thing.
How can accessibility to trees and green spaces be enhanced in established neighbourhoods that lack these opportunities in Ontario? There are places where planters,pots, or maybe even a community garden could be placed in areas that are largely concrete and asphalt. The only issue with these opportunities is often the lack of funding for the purchase of materials and possibly wages for staff to temporarily attend the site to ensure that the plants become established.
We can help these efforts through the usual method of providing funding. We can also help by providing seeds, plant material, and advice. I believe that there are many people who, if given the opportunity, would love to grow a tree or plant a garden.
I truly don’t know how I am going to start with helping to provide or encourage better tree equity, but I am ready to try and will put an effort into finding my path forward. The thought that everyone doesn’t need to hug a tree to feel better and be healthier, they just need to see one, seems like a reasonable item to work towards. ◊
Referencing:
To obtain these statistics, studies or reports, you can search through academic databases like Google Scholar, JSTOR, or directly on the websites of the WHO, American Forests, Ontario Forests and relevant environmental journals.