Before Ecosystem Services

Why do we need them?

Ecosystem services are benefits the human

population obtains from ecosystems (Bolund and
Hunhammar, 1999). They generally fall under one
of four categories: provisioning, regulating,
cultural or supporting. Ecosystems in urban areas
can include parks, wetlands, urban forests, rivers
and cultivated land (Bolund and Hunhammar,
1999).. Humans rely on urban ecosystem services
because they enhance our mental and physical
wellbeing, they add cultural value and stimulate
the economy.

How will our project enhance them?

-provisioning: food

-regulating: air filtration, micro-climate

https://www.utoronto.ca/news/toronto’s-‘urban-forest’-worth-142-
regulation, noise reduction, pollination billion-report-says

After
Urban Forest
-cultural: recreation, aesthetic,
spirituality, education

-supporting: soil formation, nutrient Restoration

Mini-Project:
cycling, biodiversity enhancement

Huron Street
Urban Forest Restoration
Garden
Mini-Project: Huron Street
Garden
Michaela Fink & Avery A brief synopsis on implementation
Schwarz strategies and benefits
FOR302
 Actions
1. Expansion of park
2. Plant trees to create urban forest
3. Create buffer zone around urban forest
4. Community garden expansion

https://www.google.com/maps

Location “Urban Forests & City Trees =

Huron Street Garden
The Huron Street Garden is located on the
corner of College Street and Huron Street. The
Garden itself occupies a small portion of a
green space behind the Lillian H. Smith Public
Library owned by the Toronto Parks
Department (Public Commons, 2011). The Park
is bordered on two cornering sides by a parking
lot.
https://www.google.com/maps
More Livable Healthy Cities”
Expansion of Park
The parking lot surrounding the park would
serve as additional green space allowing for
revitalization of the pre-existing park. Asphalt
would be removed and native grasses would be
planted.
Urban Forests
Native trees would be planted in the green
space to bring more biodiversity into the city
and help with air quality.
Buffer Zones
The buffer zone around the urban forest would
serve as an area where more foot traffic could
occur so to leave growing trees undisturbed.
Garden Expansion
A larger community garden would help
provision vegetables and greens to the
Summary
Forests are a collective of living organisms and
abiotic elements (Avendaño, 2020). By
implementing this restoration project we would
create autopoietic living system that would
benefit the community in numerous ways. The
four-step action plan is relatively simple to
execute and would provide numerous benefits
for nature and the citizens of Toronto.
Literature Cited
Bolund, P., Hunhammar, S. 1999. Ecosystem
services in urban areas. Ecological Economics, 29(2). Pp.
293-301.
Public Commons: Document: Community Advisory
Stakeholders H-L. (2011, September 20). Public
Commons.
http://publiccommons.ca/documents/629
Green Cities: Good Health (2018. August 16).
University of Washington.
https://depts.washington.edu/hhwb/
Avendaño, Carlos. “Lecture No. 2: View of the Forest”
(2020, January 13). University of Toronto.
Google Maps “Huron Community Garden”
(Accessed: 2020, March 7).
https://www.google.com/maps

http://publiccommons.ca/documents/629
community in addition to supporting more
biodiversity.