Community Forest Strategy

Trees are more than just beautiful - they’re essential. They clean the air, cool our communities, support wildlife, and make our neighbourhoods healthier and more vibrant. The Community Forest Strategy will help the County of Brant plan for the future of our trees and green spaces in urban and rural areas.

What is a Community Forest?

Brant’s Community Forest includes all the trees and green spaces across the County - on both public and private land. That means not just forests and trails, but also trees in parks, along roads, in cemeteries, on farmland, and even in your own backyard.

Trees are more than just beautiful - they’re essential. They clean the air, cool our communities, support wildlife, and make our neighbourhoods healthier and more vibrant. The Community Forest Strategy will help the County of Brant plan for the future of our trees and green spaces in urban and rural areas.

What is a Community Forest?

Brant’s Community Forest includes all the trees and green spaces across the County - on both public and private land. That means not just forests and trails, but also trees in parks, along roads, in cemeteries, on farmland, and even in your own backyard.

Together, these trees make up a living system that supports the environment, our health, and the overall beauty and well-being of our communities.

Why are we creating a Community Forest Strategy?

As our County grows, we want to make sure we’re protecting and enhancing this important natural asset. The Community Forest Strategy will guide how we care for, grow, and protect our trees now and in the future.

Our vision is a sustainable, inclusive, and resilient forest system that supports the social, environmental, and economic health of the County of Brant.

The strategy will help us:

  • Plan for a growing and thriving Community Forest
  • Protect and preserve trees on both public and private lands
  • Keep our trees healthy, safe, and functional
  • Enhance our urban forests and green spaces
  • Build strong partnerships with community groups and Indigenous partners
  • Support recreational use and other green initiatives

FAQs

We have included a list of frequently asked questions to help answer some questions you may have.

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CLOSED: This discussion has concluded. Thank you for your feedback!

County of Brant Staff aim to maintain a respectful and constructive dialogue with the public through all forms of communication. We understand and appreciate that people will have differing opinions and concerns, and welcome all feedback, questions, and comments in a respectful and constructive manner.

Please ask your question or leave your comment below. We will do our best to respond within 3 business days. You may also find answers to some of your questions on our FAQs page.

  • The overall direction of the Community Forest Strategy is positive and well supported, particularly the focus on protecting existing trees, increasing canopy, and improving long-term forest health. As the strategy includes trees on private land within the community forest, it would be helpful to more clearly define how privately managed landscapes are understood within this framework. Many landowners are actively planting, maintaining, and adapting their landscapes over time in ways that contribute to canopy cover, biodiversity, and resilience. These landscapes may not always appear static or “natural,” but they are intentional and evolving systems that support the same long-term outcomes identified in the strategy. Providing clear language around stewardship, management, and acceptable variation in landscape approaches would help ensure consistent interpretation across the County. This would also reduce the risk of well-managed properties being misunderstood, while supporting landowners who are contributing positively to canopy growth and forest health. Strengthening this clarity would support both the County’s goals and the long-term success of community-wide stewardship.

    Meaghan asked 10 days ago

    Thank you for your thoughtful feedback. The County recognizes that privately managed landscapes play an important role in contributing to overall canopy cover, biodiversity, and long-term resilience across the Community Forest. The intent of the Community Forest Strategy is to include both public and private lands within a shared framework that supports these outcomes, while acknowledging that landscapes may be managed in a variety of ways depending on landowner objectives and site conditions.

    The Strategy supports stewardship on private lands through education, incentives, and clear policy direction, including the Tree Protection and Enhancement Policy and Technical Tree Guidelines. These documents establish consistent expectations related to tree protection, planting, and compensation, while still allowing for flexibility in how landscapes are designed and managed. Actively managed landscapes that contribute positively to canopy cover, ecological function, and long-term sustainability are aligned with the goals of the Strategy.

    The Strategy also recognizes the importance of partnerships in supporting implementation, including collaboration with organizations such as the Grand River Conservation Authority and other agencies to pursue funding opportunities, deliver restoration initiatives, and support stewardship on private lands.

    As the Strategy is implemented, staff will continue to refine communication materials and guidance to ensure clarity for landowners, residents, and stakeholders. This includes reinforcing the role of stewardship, promoting best management practices, and supporting a range of landscape approaches that contribute to a healthy and resilient Community Forest.

  • Please consider planting trees along trailways? Similar to riparian plantings along waterways, trees planting along trailways would help with wind protection, shading and snow drifting. Planting along key highways to act as living snow fences would be a great cobenefit, especially alomg highway 24 south to Simcoe. Brant waterways Foundation is interested in supporting the community forest strategy, as a strategic partner, regular meetings with the county could daylight opportunities for fundraising and supporting community education and planting days along side the Brant Tree Coalition.

    Secookee asked 20 days ago

    Thank you for the comments, we are considering a project along trailways soon. Highway 24 towards Simcoe is under Provincial jurisdiction, so would not be a part of this scope. We will reach out to you / Brant Waterways to discuss future opportunities!

  • Are there any plans for Model Areas or Demonstration Areas where concepts, ideas, trials or advanced stages of completion toward the targeted condition or outcome can be seen or experienced? Especially with before and after pictures and condition changes. Also how can changes be recognized and celebrated by the residents in local neighbourhoods?

    Erik Hager asked 22 days ago

    Hello, thank you for your question. The Community Forest Strategy supports the use of model areas and demonstration areas as a way to translate long‑term goals and guiding principles into visible, on‑the‑ground outcomes over time.

    While the Strategy itself sets the long‑term vision, targets, and strategic direction, it also emphasizes adaptive management, phased implementation, and pilot‑based approaches. Within that framework, the Strategy allows for identifying real, local places where residents can see forestry and urban tree management principles being applied and refined.

    In practice, this could include areas such as neighbourhoods, parks, roadsides, trails, cemeteries, or woodlots where enhanced forest and arboricultural management practices are demonstrated. Examples may include:

    • Early and preventative tree maintenance, including block pruning cycles and early structural pruning
    • Climate‑resilient and diverse tree planting
    • Naturalization and woodland restoration projects
    • Improved soil conditions, spacing, and long‑term growing environments

    These types of areas also support the Strategy’s emphasis on learning, monitoring, and continuous improvement, allowing approaches to be tested, refined, and scaled as capacity and resources allow. The Forestry Division has already piloted elements such as block pruning cycles and early tree maintenance, which align with this implementation approach.

    The Community Forest Strategy also emphasizes the importance of public engagement, education, and transparent communication, which supports sharing progress, demonstrating outcomes, and building community pride and stewardship as the Strategy is implemented over time. Examples of this:

    • Interpreting model or demonstration areas with simple signage explaining the goals, changes, and expected outcomes
    • Sharing progress updates, photos, and stories through County communications and community forest reporting
    • Connecting projects to local neighbourhoods so residents can see the benefits where they live and travel
    • Highlighting milestones (e.g., completion of a planting phase, visible growth, improved canopy conditions) as part of broader community pride and stewardship

    The Community Forest Strategy is intended to be a living framework, and model or demonstration areas are an important bridge between strategic goals and everyday experience on the ground. 

  • Does this include more county purchased/planted trees on boulevards?

    DeClark asked 22 days ago

    Yes - the County will be planting more street trees starting with areas that have low canopy coverage.

  • Thank you for your interest in developing the forest and tree canopy in Brant. I filled in the survey but forgot to add a comment about Rest Acres Road coming from 403 into Paris. Some attempt has been made along the middle of the boulevard for tree planting. The sides of the road are dominated by hydro wires and newly constructed townhomes. Nature plantings along the sides of the boulevard would add a lot to beautifying the entrance into Paris.

    Richard63 asked about 1 year ago

    Thank you for your feedback! 

Page last updated: 29 Apr 2026, 04:38 PM