The City of Sarnia will begin planting 182 new trees across the community in mid-April 2026, marking the first major planting season under the city’s new strategy to expand the local urban forest.
As part of the initiative, 137 of the new trees will be planted along city-owned boulevards, with the remaining 45 trees placed in public parks. Forestry and Horticulture Services staff will oversee the installation and ongoing maintenance of the trees, which are concentrated in the Rapids, Magnolia Trails, and Heritage Park developments.
This planting effort supports the city’s Urban Forest Management Plan, which was approved by Sarnia City Council in 2025. The long-term plan includes 46 action items designed to guide the management of the local canopy over the next 15 years, with an official goal of increasing urban tree coverage to 23 per cent by 2050 from the current 22 per cent.
City officials note that the local urban forest is a significant asset, covering approximately 2,726 hectares. The existing trees provide the community with nearly $2.7 million in annual benefits, including air quality improvements and stormwater management, with a total value exceeding $56 million. These efforts also build upon the city’s broader climate change adaptation strategies, which were elevated following the declaration of a climate change emergency in June 2019.
Managing the city’s approximately 25,000 inventoried trees is handled by a team consisting of one supervisor and seven arborists. While these staff members currently manage trees across the city, the majority of the urban canopy is located on private property, with only 13 per cent of trees situated on city-managed lands. Located within the highly biodiverse Carolinian forest region, the city continues to focus on careful species selection to ensure the health and longevity of the local canopy.
