Urban Forest

The City of Saskatoon provides several services to support tree maintenance, inspections, protection, pest management and planting:

• Request a tree on the boulevard adjacent to your home or property.
• Follow the City’s tree protection requirements, which may require obtaining a Tree Permit for work that could impact a City tree.
• Not sure if that tree out front is a City tree or your tree? View the Public Tree Inventory.
• Learn about your neighbourhood’s tree pruning schedule.
• Request tree inspections for trees on City property that create a safety risk, look unhealthy, block other infrastructure including signs, sidewalks or driveways.
• Learn about common tree pests and diseases, and how to manage them.
• Prevent Dutch elm disease from spreading in our City. 

Urban Forest Management Plan

The Urban Forest Management Plan (2021) and related Pathway to a Sustainable Urban Forest: Implementation Plan (2022) identify opportunities to lead initiatives that will contribute to the effective management, protection, enhancement and growth of Saskatoon’s urban forest.

Tree Protection

The Tree Protection Bylaw, 2024 was enacted to protect trees on City property (e.g. boulevards, medians, parks and natural areas).  The Bylaw prohibits activities that put trees at risk of injury and enables a permitting process for work near city trees (i.e. demolition, construction and major landscaping).  For more information, visit saskatoon.ca/treepermits or contact Urban Forestry treepermits@saskatoon.ca 

Pruning and Maintenance

The City maintains a regular pruning cycle. City trees in parks are pruned every 13 years and those along streets are pruned every 7 years.

Trees provide immeasurable benefits: they offer ecosystem services, support human health and well-being, and contribute to the social and cultural fabric of the city. Public trees in Saskatoon (excluding shelterbelts and afforestation areas) were valued at $530 million in 2020.

The urban forest can be valued in several ways. For example:

• Ecosystem services value: The value trees provide in terms of air, water, and soil quality; carbon sequestration; stormwater management; and other ecosystem benefits.

For example, the Urban Forest Management Plan (2021) provides estimates of some of the benefits provided by the urban forest including total carbon storage of 682,000 tonnes CO₂ (2017 data) and additional annual sequestration of 26,750 tonnes CO₂ per year. The City has also started calculating the value of some natural assets, including Richard St Barbe Baker Afforestation Area, which was estimated in 2020 to provide a value of $347,600/year in important services (Natural Capital Asset Valuation 2020).

• Replacement value: The amount it costs to replace trees if damaged or removed. This could include the cost of new trees, soil and mulch, as well as costs related to site preparation, installation and plant establishment.
• Compensation value: The appraised value of a tree or trees. The City’s Trees on City Property policy outlines how compensation owing will be determined if a tree on City property is damaged or removed.
• Intrinsic value: The full value of a tree beyond the above valuation metrics including, for example, the emotional, spiritual and personal connection to trees, as well as their value to other species and nature.

The City of Saskatoon's Parks Department is responsible for the care of approximately 110,000 trees on boulevards, center medians, in parks and at civic facilities. Additional trees in residential yards, the river valley, naturalized parks, afforestation areas, school grounds and commercial and industrial lands also contribute to Saskatoon's urban forest. Measuring the benefits, health and canopy cover of our trees can inform decision making and lead to a greener city.

Tree Species Diversity

Saskatoon’s urban forest is made up of diverse tree species that grow in a variety of settings throughout the city.

Canopy Cover

Saskatoon’s existing canopy cover is 9% as of 2017 (City of Saskatoon Canopy Assessment 2018). In 2022, 819 trees were planted as part of park and urban reforestation initiatives (Parks 2022 Year-End Report).    

Targets

A Tree Canopy Assessment was conducted in 2021 to provide information on Saskatoon's existing tree canopy cover (by neighbourhood and by land use). The Assessment recommended the following targets for the Urban Forestry Program:

• 15-20% canopy cover by 2060
• 90% species suitable for future climate change
• <3.5% annual mortality in trees fewer than five years old
• >30 years Safe Useful Life Expectancy (SULE) for 90% of urban forest

1. Plant a tree in your yard. Consider choosing species that are drought tolerant and adapted to our climate.
2. Request a boulevard tree if you don't already have one. You can ask the Parks Department to plant a tree on City property in your yard and you can select your preferred tree species.
3. Give trees to friends and family members as gifts.
4. Encourage neighbours, businesses, organizations and other establishments to plant trees on their property.
5. Plant trees on public property. Community groups can request to plant on City property. Please contact Urban Forestry for details (urban.forestry@saskatoon.ca).
6. Be a tree steward. Keep the trees on your property properly maintained, pruned and free of pests or diseases. For City trees beside your property, consider giving them a drink now and again; do not attach signs or other items to trunks or branches; do not use pesticides close to trees or roots; and be careful not to damage trees with equipment such as mowers and trimmers. For more information on proper tree care, visit saskatoon.ca/treecare.
7. Protect our trees. If you plan to landscape, excavate or build near a tree on City property, you are responsible for providing tree protection measures and following the City’s Tree Protection Requirements.
8. If you see a tree on City property that creates a safety risk, looks unhealthy (e.g., due to damage, disease or pest issues), blocks infrastructure including signs, sidewalks and driveways, please report it through the City’s online tree inspection form.
9. Help prevent the spread of Dutch Elm Disease:
   1. Do not buy, store, or transport elm wood;
   2. Do not prune elms during the provincial pruning ban of April 1 to August 31.
   3. Do take elm wood to the City landfill for disposal;
   4. Do report a suspected case of Dutch Elm Disease through the City’s online DED Inspection Form.
   5. Do learn more about Dutch Elm Disease: saskatoon.ca/DutchElmDisease
10. Go pesticide free. Do not apply pesticides or herbicides in areas near tree roots, trunks or leaves.
11. Volunteer for urban forestry initiatives through local organizations such as Meewasin, SOS Trees Coalition, and Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas.