Emergency Preparedness
Bardekjian, A. & Puric-Mladenovic, D. (2025). Emergency Preparedness. In Growing Green Cities: A Practical Guide to Urban Forestry in Canada. Tree Canada. Retrieved from Tree Canada: https://treecanada.ca/urban-forestry-guide/emergency-preparedness/
Highlights
Increased Risk
Natural disasters such as floods, extreme weather, high temperatures, fires, pests, and diseases are increasing in Canada.
Disaster preparedness
Must be built into urban forest management plans to ensure resilience in the face of disasters and emergencies.
Management and mitigation
Preventative methods like risk assessment and planning, mapping high-risk areas, monitoring efforts, and proactive maintenance.
Canadian strategies and policies
Emphasize the importance of governance and coordination among different levels of government and emergency services.
Emergency preparedness in urban forestry is crucial for protecting trees and woodlands, as well as the communities that rely on them. As Canadian cities face increasing threats from natural disasters, including wildfires, flooding, extreme heat, and the spread of pests and diseases, it is essential that urban forestry practices not only focus on routine maintenance but also on preparedness and resilience.
The eastern Canadian ice storm of 1998, the Emerald Ash Borer impact and spread, the Derecho storm (Ontario, May 21, 2022), Hurricane Juan (Nova Scotia, September 29, 2003), and the BC fires of 2003 starkly illustrated the need for municipalities to integrate emergency preparedness and disaster management into urban forest management plans. Emergency preparedness helps minimize damage, ensures public safety, and allows for the planning and implementation of recovery after an emergency (Public Safety Canada, 2022a).
Incorporating disaster management into urban forest management includes several key components that are preventive and responsive. Preventive measures involve risk assessment, planning, and prevention. Risk assessment includes identifying vulnerabilities and mapping high-risk areas using inventory and monitoring data, while planning and prevention actions include tree inventories, health monitoring, proactive tree maintenance (e.g., pruning), and infrastructural protection (e.g., managing trees near power lines). Responsive actions involve implementing response plans and coordinating emergency and recovery efforts. This includes collaboration with emergency response and land management agencies, public communication, and post-event assessments (e.g., identifying damaged trees). Recovery efforts should focus on replanting, restoration, and refining strategies to improve future preparedness (US Forest Service, n.d.; Smart Trees Pacific, 2013a; Huff, E. et al., 2020). Comprehensive emergency response plans should also include preventative and responsive measures that prioritize the safety of workers and the public during and after emergencies (The Arborist Safe Work Practices (ASWP), 2023).
Management and Mitigation Strategies
Municipalities should allocate adequate resources in their budgets for disaster preparedness, including funding for specialized training for urban forestry personnel. Training should cover the safe handling of hazardous situations, such as downed power lines or unstable trees, and the implementation of health and safety protocols. Furthermore, regular drills and simulations can help ensure that personnel are well-prepared to respond swiftly and effectively when disaster strikes (Government of Canada, 2024b). Cities should also invest in human resources dedicated to disaster management within the urban forestry sector. This includes roles focused on risk assessment and emergency planning, and public education on the importance of tree care in disaster mitigation (Konijnendijk et al., 2021). Collaboration with local agencies, utilities, and community organizations is also crucial to ensure a unified response during emergencies.
Canadian strategies and policies also emphasize the importance of governance and coordination among different levels of government and emergency services. For instance, the Canadian Wildland Fire Strategy (Canadian Council of Forest Ministers, 2016) outlines a coordinated approach to wildfire management, while Public Safety Canada (Public Safety Canada, 2022b) provides guidelines for emergency management that include urban forestry considerations. Municipalities can also benefit from provincial programs like Ontario’s Forest Health Protection Program (Government of Ontario, n.d.), which supports the management of pest and disease outbreaks [see chapter: Insects and Diseases].
Integrating disaster management into urban forest management plans is a necessity. Many municipal urban forest management plans include a section on emergency preparedness. Municipalities should aim to adopt robust strategies, policies, and practices so that cities can better protect their urban forests and, by extension, their communities from the growing risks posed by natural disasters.
Resources
Canadian National
- Canadian Council of Forest Ministers. (2016). Canadian Wildland Fire Strategy: A 10-year review and renewed call to action.
- Government of Canada. (2005). Canadian wildland fire strategy: a vision for an innovative and integrated approach to managing the risks – a report to the Canadian Council of Forest Ministers, prepared by the Canadian Wildlife Fire Strategy Assistant Deputy Ministers Task Group: Fo134-1/2005E-PDF. Government of Canada Publications.
- Government of Canada. (2024a). National Risk Profile: A national emergency preparedness and awareness tool. Public Safety Canada.
- Government of Canada. (2024b). Health and Safety Program – General elements. Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS).
- Hartel, D. (2015). Urban Forests: Building resilience to natural disasters. Urban Forestry South.
- Hartel, D. (2019). Disaster Recovery Steps to Maintain and Improve Urban Forest Resilience. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service.
- Mihychuk, M. (2018). From The Ashes: Reimagining Fire Safety and Emergency Management in Indigenous Communities. In 42nd Parliament, 1st session. Standing Committee on Indigenous and Northern Affairs.
- Public Health Agency of Canada. (2023). Creating the Conditions for Resilient Communities: A Public Health Approach to Emergencies.
- Public Safety Canada. (2017). An Emergency Management Framework for Canada (3rd ed.).
- Public Safety Canada. (2022a). Emergency Management Strategy for Canada: Toward a resilient 2030.
- Public Safety Canada. (2022b). Emergency management.
- Public Safety Canada. (2024). Advancing the Federal-Provincial-Territorial Emergency Management Strategy: Areas for Action (2024th ed.).
- Workplace Safety & Prevention Services. (2023). Arborist Industry Safe Work Practices Guide.
Canadian Provincial
Alberta
- City of Edmonton. (2021). Urban Forest Asset Management Plan.
- Temmer, J., Smith, R., & Terton, A. (2017). Building a Climate-Resilient City: Disaster preparedness and emergency management. Prairie Climate Centre.
- Town of Banff. (2019). Town of Banff Strategic Plan 2019-2022.
- Town of Banff. (2022). Strengthening Emergency Management and Wildfire Preparedness.
British Columbia
- British Columbia FireSmart. (2022). Community Wildfire Resiliency Plan Instruction Guide. Community Wildfire Resiliency Plan (pp. 3–60).
- British Columbia Firesmart. (2024). British Columbia Community Wildfire Resiliency Plan Instruction Guide.
- Government of British Columbia. (2016). BC Wildfire Service Mandate & Strategy – Province of British Columbia.
- Town of Gibsons. (2024). Gibsons Takes a Green Step Forward with First-Ever Urban Forest Plan. Town of Gibsons.
Nova Scotia
- Government of Nova Scotia. (2021). Impact of Hurricane Juan on woodlands and parks of central Nova Scotia.
Ontario
- Burt, J. (2022). Guidelines For a Municipal Forest Fire Emergency Plan. Municipality of Northern Bruce Peninsula.
- City of Guelph. (2024). Urban Forest Management Plan.
- City of Kitchener. (2019). It’s a Tree’s Life: Kitchener’s Sustainable Urban Forest Strategy 2019-2028.
- City of Markham. (2017). City of Markham Emergency Response Plan.
- City of Toronto. (2021). City of Toronto Emergency Plan.
- Emergency Management Ontario. (2021). Emergency Management Framework for Ontario. Emergency Management Framework for Ontario (pp. 1–45).
- Government of Ontario. (n.d.). Forest health conditions.
- Town of Oakville. (2020). 2020 Urban Forest Strategic Management Plan.
Non-Canadian
- International Rainy-Lake of the Woods Watershed Board. (2019). Review of environmental emergency planning, preparedness and response in the boundary waters of the Rainy-Lake of the Woods Drainage Basin. International Joint Commission.
- Smart Trees Pacific. (2013a). Urban Forestry Emergency Operations Planning Guide for Storm Response.
- Smart Trees Pacific. (2013b). Urban Forestry Emergency Operations Planning Guide for Storm Response.
- Sustainable Forestry Initiative. (2022). SFI Urban and Community Forest Sustainability Guidance. SFI Urban and Community Forest Sustainability Guidance (p. 2).
- US Forest Service. (n.d.). Emergency Response and Preparedness.
- USDA Forest Service. (2013). Urban Forestry Emergency Operations Planning Guide for Storm Response. Urban Forestry South.
Further Reading
- Huff, E., Johnson, M., Roman, L., Sonti, N., Pregitzer, C., Campbell, L., & McMillen, H. (2020). A Literature Review of Resilience in Urban Forestry. Arboriculture & Urban Forestry, 46(3), 185–196.
- Kenney, W. A., van Wassenaer, P. J. E., & Satel, A. L. (2011). Criteria and Indicators for Strategic Urban Forest Planning and Management. Arboriculture & Urban Forestry (AUF), 37(3), 108-117. Retrieved from
- Konijnendijk, C., Nesbitt, L., & Wirtz, Z. (2021). Urban Forest governance in the face of Pulse Disturbances—Canadian Experiences. Arboriculture & Urban Forestry, 47(6), 267–283.
- Ordóñez, C., & Duinker, P. (2014). Assessing the vulnerability of urban forests to climate change. Environmental Reviews, 22(3), 311–321.