News

Town of Comox Launches Engagement for Urban Forest Management Strategy

18 February 2025

The Town of Comox is excited to announce the launch of phase 1 public engagement for its Urban Forest Management Strategy (UFMS)—a comprehensive plan to assess the current state of Comox’s tree canopy and provide a road map for maintaining and enhancing a diverse, resilient, and healthy urban forest over the next 30 years.

An urban forest includes all trees within Comox—along streets, in backyards, parks, trails, and playgrounds. These trees provide essential benefits: they offer shade, cool the air, filter pollution from air and water, improve community health and well-being, reduce erosion and flooding, and act as a natural buffer against the impacts of climate change.

The strategy will provide:

  • A community-supported vision and action plan based on public input.
  • Baseline data on the state of Comox’s urban forest, including its extent, diversity, benefits, and needs.
  • Goals, targets, and indicators to measure progress over time.

“Our urban forest is one of Comox’s greatest assets. It’s more than just beautiful—it plays an important role in our community’s health, well-being, and climate resilience. This strategy will help us plan for the future while preserving and enhancing our natural environment. We look forward to hearing from residents as we work together to create a shared vision for Comox’s urban forest,” said Comox Mayor Nicole Minions.

The community will play a key role in shaping the Urban Forest Management Strategy. Residents are encouraged to participate in the process and share their thoughts:

  • Online Survey: Open until March 31, 2025, at engagecomoxvalley.ca/urbanforest.
  • Open House: Join us at the d’Esterre Seniors’ Centre on Thursday, March 13, from 4:30 – 6:30 p.m. to learn more about the urban forest and share your feedback.

Completion of the UFMS is scheduled for November 2025.

For more information on the strategy, to complete the survey, and to provide feedback on the mapping tool, visit engagecomoxvalley.ca/urbanforest.

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Media Contact:
Nicole Minions – Comox Mayor
nminions@comox.ca
250-339-2202