Planning for Climate Change – Implementation of an urban reforestation strategy in Delta, British Columbia

When the Corporation of Delta hosted the first event in Showcasing Green Infrastructure Innovation in Metro Vancouver: The 2007 Series, other Metro Vancouver municipalities learned why the slogan “2010 x10” has taken on a life of its own in  Delta. The Corporation of Delta  has mobilized the community to create a truly sustainable Olympic legacy by planting 20,100 trees by 2010.

Mayor Lois Jackson's proclamation of Arbor Day in Delta years ago started a campaign to plant thousands of trees on public lands. The 2010 X 10 tree-planting project is the impetus to create connectivity with wildlife corridors, parks, roads, and highways.For a previous  story about this initiative, please click here;

Frank van Manen and Nancy McLean told the story of how a series of letters to the editor of the local newspaper got the ball rolling, and how this resulted in a vision for an ‘urban quilt’ comprising patches of green. To download a copy of their PowerPoint co-presentation, please click on this link to The Urban Forest – Planning for Climate Change 

A special guest for this segment of the program was Bill Zander Zam, former Premier of British Columbia (from 1986 through 1991). He was the letter writer whose call for action struck a chord with Nancy McLean and led her to pick up the phone and ask: “Okay, together how can we make the Green Gateway happen?”

For more on the presentation by Frank and Nancy, please click here.

Posted November 2007