PURPOSE OF THIS ANALYSIS
Located in south-central Ontario, Canada, Orangeville is approximately 13.4 square kilometers, or 1341 hectares, in size. The urban forest in Orangeville is a valuable asset providing residents and visitors with many environmental, social, and economic benefits. This assessment mapped urban tree canopy (UTC), possible planting area (PPA), and analyzed how they are distributed throughout Orangeville’s town boundary, land use types, dissemination areas, property ownerships, and parcels.

PROJECT METHODOLOGY
The results, based on 2021 Nearmap and 2019 Ecopia Tech Company land cover data, provide a near current look at land cover in Orangeville and will allow the Town to revise and develop existing and new strategies to protect and expand the urban forest. Land cover from Ecopia was used to fill in gaps in the Nearmap land cover to ensure full coverage of the town. Both sources were produced using modern machine learning techniques, but it is recommended that the Town use a single vendor going forward to allow for a more even comparison the next time tree canopy and land cover are assessed.

ORANGEVILLE’S URBAN FOREST
In 2021, Orangeville had 27% urban tree canopy cover and 41% possible planting area, not including surface water bodies, which do not support trees without significant modification. Land cover percentages were calculated within the total area of interest, which includes water bodies. The town’s total land cover, including water bodies, contained 27% tree canopy, 42% non-canopy vegetation; 1% soil/dry vegetation; 28% impervious surfaces, and 3% water. The 358 hectares of tree canopy in Orangeville provide a multitude of economic, environmental, and social benefits, valued at
over $470,000 CAD annually, as well as $8.8 million in carbon storage. Of all tree canopy in Orangeville, 79% stands on privatelyowned land. The Town’s 869 hectares of privately owned canopy can be further divided into subcategories. Residential-301 ownership type contributed the greatest area of tree canopy with 102 hectares, as well as 129 hectares of possible planting space. Vacant Residential-100 provided the second greatest canopy area of 45 hectares of UTC, while Vacant Commercial-105 provided 32 hectares of plantable space. Public land, such as parks, schools, and areas zoned for open spaces, contained 21% of the townwide canopy distribution.

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