We’re expanding our urban forest by planting more trees in neighbourhoods with the greatest need.
On this page:
In many areas of Kitchener, trees and the benefits they provide are inequitably distributed. That means that some neighbourhoods are missing out on the many benefits that trees can provide to help communities thrive, such as:
- shade in the summer
- climate change resilience
- cleaner air and water
- sense of wellbeing
- habitat for wildlife
Our Community Canopy program plants new trees in neighbourhoods with the lowest tree canopy coverage to provide more equitable access to the benefits of trees across our city. Every year, we select a new neighbourhood for focused tree planting activities with the goal of growing the tree canopy coverage in that area. You can explore Kitchener’s current tree canopy coverage using our urban forest map.
Each neighbourhood across the city is assigned a tree equity score, which combines the percentage of tree canopy cover in the area and census data. Neighbourhoods can have low tree equity scores because not enough trees have been planted, existing trees have died, neighbourhoods have been developed more recently, property types haven’t traditionally provided planting space, and other factors. “Cooling our city – an equitable guide to tree planting” shares more information on how the city develops tree equity scores and planting strategies.
The average tree canopy coverage across the city is 27 per cent as of 2019. The goal of the Community Canopy program is to increase the number of trees in our urban forest by more equally distributing trees across all our neighbourhoods. We achieve this by planting new trees on both public and private properties in neighbourhoods with low tree equity scores each year.
Community Canopy is a partnership between Reep Green Solutions and the City of Kitchener.
Contact trees@kitchener.ca if you have any questions about Community Canopy.
Current planting program
Community Canopy increases the city’s tree canopy coverage by planting new trees on both public and private properties.
Planting on public land
Our 2025 Community Canopy program will take focus on the Southdale and Alpine neighbourhoods. We plan to plant 100 trees in public spaces and 50 trees on private properties in these neighbourhoods.
Public trees will be planted in locations we select, which could include local community centres and parks, boulevards and other locations on city property.
Planting on private properties
Reep Green Solutions will be planting 50 trees on private properties in target neighbourhoods through their backyard tree planting program, which is funded by the City of Kitchener. Each year, up to 50 households living in these target neighbourhoods will receive their first tree for free through the Community Canopy program. Additional trees are also available at a lower cost through the backyard tree planting program.
Households living in the target neighbourhoods can request a private tree by applying on Reep’s website. Once an application has been completed, Reep staff will schedule a consultation with an arborist to confirm whether a tree can be planted on the requested site.
See the request a tree section to learn more about requesting a tree on public and private properties outside of Community Canopy’s target neighbourhoods.
Past planting programs
Community Canopy focuses on planting in new neighbourhoods each year. Learn more about neighbourhoods we’ve already planted in below.
| Chandler-Mowat (2024) |
| In 2024, we piloted the Community Canopy program in the Chandler-Mowat neighbourhood. We planted 154 new trees in the neighbourhood, including 100 in public spaces and 54 on private property through the support of Reep Green Solutions. In 2025, we will continue planting another 70 trees to complete the planting program. |
Request a tree
Even if you live outside of the Community Canopy target neighbourhoods, you can still request a tree to be planted on public or private property anywhere in the city.
- Suggest a planting location on public property using our public tree request form.
- Request a new tree for your backyard at a reduced price through Reep’s backyard tree planting program.
To learn more about how we plant and maintain trees in Kitchener, visit our tree planting and maintenance page.