Tree Size Matters
- Large, healthy, long-lived trees provide the greatest structural and functional values
- The average tree diameter in Toronto is 16.3cm. Only 14% of Toronto’s trees are greater than 30.6cm in diameter
- The most effective strategy for increasing average tree size and tree canopy is to preserve and manage existing trees in the City
- The size of a tree and the amount of healthy leaf area equates directly to the benefits provided to the community
- At 75cm tree in Toronto intercepts ten times more air pollution, can store up to 90 times more carbon and contributes upt to 100 times more leaf area to the City’s tree canopy than a 15cm tree
Every Tree Counts – A Portrait of Toronto’s Urban Forest