Request to Plant Program

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The Request to Plant program is a City of Edmonton initiative which works to preserve and expand the urban forest through partnerships with community groups, individual residents, and local businesses.

The program offers 2 options for Edmontonians interested in planting trees on public property:

Supply and Plant a Tree Yourself Make a Monetary Donation

Urban Forestry will accept a total of 20 requests to plant applications each year. Applications are accepted until June 1st of the calendar year and considered for review on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Request to Plant Application

The 2023 planting program is now closed. Applications for 2024 will open in the spring.

Supply and Plant a Tree Yourself

tree planted on City property

Donors will work closely with an Urban Forester to ensure all approvals are in place before planting a tree on City owned land. The applicant may be required to:

Submit a planting proposal
Obtain letters of consent from surrounding residents
Have valid locates at the time of planting
Sign a Maintenance Agreement for the duration of tree establishment

Note: a tax receipt will not be provided when donors supply and plant a tree themselves on City property.

Application Submission and Guidelines

Citizens interested in planting a tree on public property are required to submit an application form to be reviewed by an Urban Forester.

An application form can be requested by emailing communityforestry@edmonton.ca and require the applicant to provide:

The proposed number of trees they would like to plant
The planting locations and tree species

Application Review

Once the application has been submitted, an Urban Forester will contact the applicant and may request:

A planting plan that includes a map/drawing indicating the tree planting locations and distances from surrounding infrastructure.
Signed letter(s) of consent from all immediately adjacent landowners to where the tree planting is proposed.
A utility locate request from Alberta One-Call and DigShaw. The locate should be valid at the time of the planting. Trees shall not be planted within 1 metre of any underground utility.

Application Assessment

When planting requests are made, an Urban Forester must assess the feasibility of the overall project and site.

The Urban Forester will work closely with the applicant and consider the following guidelines when reviewing the proposed application:

The suitability of tree species to proposed planting location(s), including future size, spacing, water requirements, and soil requirements.
Ensure the tree species requested are not considered invasive or short-lived.
Proposed plantings that are an extension of private property will not be considered due to potential encroachment issues.
Plantings that block sightlines of traffic signs and intersections will not be approved.
Proposed plantings that are immediately adjacent to property lines will not be authorized.
Plantings must be congruent with the existing design and plant selection of the area and must be designed to contribute to the enhancement of the public space.
Boulevard tree planting requests will not be considered for the program.
Access for City equipment will be assessed for future maintenance practices such as mowing, watering and pruning.
New tree installations must occur on City owned land. Urban Forestry is unable to plant a new tree within community league envelopes or on school board property.
Approved trees will be planted in accordance with the City’s Landscape Design and Construction Standards.
The City will complete a tree inspection to ensure plant material meets minimum size requirements. The inspection process will also evaluate tree health, structure, and form. Deciduous trees must be a minimum of 6 centimetre caliper. Coniferous trees must be over 2.0 metres in height.

Once the planting proposal is reviewed, the Urban Forester will circulate the plan to stakeholders to ensure there are no future plans for developments at the proposed site. This process could take up to 6 weeks.

Approval and Implementation

If the project is approved through the circulation process, the donor will be responsible for implementing the planting plan.

All Request to Plant trees must be planted in accordance to the City’s Design and Construction Standards and the donor will be required to sign a Maintenance Agreement with the City which states:

The citizen will be responsible for obtaining and funding the cost of supplies including trees, mulch, stakes and soil.
The citizen is responsible for tree maintenance and must keep a written record of all tree maintenance activities until the tree is accepted into the City’s tree inventory. Maintenance includes watering, fertilizing and controlling weeds (the use of herbicides and pesticides is prohibited).
The City may terminate the agreement immediately upon written notice to the citizen.

Acceptance into City Inventory

If the newly planted tree does not meet City specifications at the end of the maintenance period, the City can request that the citizen restore the area to the original site conditions.

Once the duration of the Maintenance Agreement is complete, and if the tree passes the inspection process, it will be accepted into the City inventory. At this time:

The tree will become the responsibility of the City: all future maintenance, such as watering, pruning and replacement, will be completed by the City
Should a situation arise where the tree is in conflict with repair or maintenance of public property, the City reserves the right to remove any planted material
The citizen will no longer complete any form of maintenance on the tree

Make a Monetary Donation

trees on City property

Donors can make a monetary donation of $1,000 to have a tree planted on City owned land. The donor will work closely with an Urban Forester to ensure approvals are in place. Depending on the scope of the project, donors may be required to:

Submit a planting proposal
Obtain letters of permission from surrounding residents

Urban Forestry will cover the costs associated with tree establishment for the first 3-5 years.

Note: a tax receipt will be provided for the monetary donation.

Application Submission and Guidelines

Citizens interested in planting trees on public property by making a monetary donation are required to submit an application form.

Application forms can be requested by emailing communityforestry@edmonton.ca and will ask the applicant to provide:

The monetary contribution amount and the number of donors involved in contributing to the request to plant application
The proposed tree planting location
The type of tree species they would like the City to plant on their behalf

Additional Requests

Once the application has been submitted, an Urban Forester will contact the applicant and may request the following depending on the scope of the project:

A planting plan that includes a map/drawing indicating the tree planting locations and distances from surrounding infrastructure
Signed letter(s) of consent from all immediately adjacent landowners to where the tree planting is proposed

Application Assessment and Approval

When planting requests are made, an Urban Forester must assess the feasibility of the overall project and site.

The Urban Forester will work closely with the applicant and consider the following guidelines when reviewing the proposed application when planting on public property:

The suitability of tree species to proposed planting location including future size, spacing, water requirements, and soil requirements
Ensure the tree species requested are not considered invasive or short-lived
Proposed plantings that are an extension of private property will not be considered due to potential encroachment issues
Plantings that block sightlines of traffic signs and intersections will not be approved
Proposed plantings that are immediately adjacent to property lines will not be authorized
Plantings must be congruent with the existing design and plant selection of the area and must be designed to contribute to the enhancement of the public space
Boulevard tree planting requests will not be considered for the program
Access for City equipment will be assessed for future maintenance practices such as mowing, watering and pruning
Approved trees will be planted in accordance with the City’s Landscape Design and Construction Standards

Approval and Implementation

If the proposal is approved, Urban Forestry will be responsible for implementing the planting plan and arranging to have a contractor complete the tree planting on public property.

All new tree installations will be planted in accordance with the City’s Design and Construction Standards and must fall within the parameters outlined under the Corporate Tree Management Policy. The following will be required prior to planting:

The plan will be reviewed by an Urban Forester and circulated to stakeholders to ensure there are no future plans for developments at the proposed site. This process could take up to 6 weeks.
Urban Forestry will request a utility locate from Alberta One-Call and DigShaw. The locate must be valid at the time of the planting. Trees shall not be planted within 1 metre of any underground utility.
Monetary donation amount paid in full to the City of Edmonton.

Acceptance into City Inventory

Once the City tree planting contractor has completed the tree installation, the tree will be inspected and accepted into the City inventory. At this time:

The tree will become the responsibility of the City: all future maintenance, such as watering, pruning and replacement, will be completed by the City
Urban Forestry will be responsible for covering the costs associated with tree establishment for the first 3-5 years
Should a situation arise where the trees are in conflict with repair or maintenance of public property, the City reserves the right to remove any planted material