“Sometimes we can’t see the forest for the buildings.” Bill Biggs retired, Canadian Forestry Service

In our big and densely populated city, Torontonians spend a lot of time getting to work, finding work, feeding, educating and entertaining ourselves. For the most part, our busy lives revolve around getting safely from one place to another.

Is it any wonder we spend so little time pondering the value of the natural world around us? There are 1,600 public parks and over four million trees in the public spaces of Toronto. Another six million trees are on the private land. But our city’s trees are not top of mind and so when Mother Nature glazed the city with more than 30 millimetres of ice in late December, we were unprepared for the effects.

But there is a silver lining: we have never been more aware of our trees. It’s like when the kid who is always well-behaved decides to stand up during a nice family dinner and, defying all rules of decorum and acceptable behaviour, makes a speech that suddenly gets them noticed. I can’t say I relate to that kid — I was always looking for attention.

The problem with trees, according to Rob Keen, executive director of Trees Ontario, is that they don’t advertise. Perhaps this is why Toronto’s mayor proposed eliminating the planned planting of more than 70,000 trees this year at a recent city budget debate. This, Rob Ford argued, would save taxpayers precious, hard-earned tax money.

Humankind, it seems to me, is always finding new ways to test nature’s tolerance of our bad behaviour. Fortunately, we are surrounded by intelligent people who have excellent ideas and questions about the health and wellness of our tree canopy, Star readers included. I have been delighted by their questions about, and response to, the December ice storm

Rita Fundner wrote to me at newhomes@thestar.ca : “If we want to have a tree canopy at all we’ll need to be prepared to spend more time and money keeping alive and strong what’s now growing and what will be planted in the coming years. Money will likely be the key… how much of the city’s budget can be devoted to re-forestation? It is my hope that the federal and provincial government will see fit to make meaningful contributions.”

Mark van Stempvoort, a tree specialist, observes: “I have noticed that 70 per cent of the damage to Toronto trees is from a single tree species: the Siberian elm. Perhaps we should be planting more native species?”

I also received a thoughtful two-page reply from my friend John Cary, CEO of Maple Leaves Forever, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to planting native maple species across the land. He said, “Native tree species are more resilient in the face of harsh conditions than their foreign counterparts. The genetic material of many native species has become more adapted to local climate over time. By and large, fostering large healthy native forests will ensure our cities and towns become more resilient in the face of potential storms. Disasters like this can encourage us to re-evaluate the importance of trees.” Learn more at mapleleavesforever.com .

How do we avoid a similar calamity? The answer, according to many people who weighed in on the subject, is to plant more native species. Native sugar and rubrum maples, serviceberries, oaks and the like can help to manage our tree canopy over time, with a minimum of costs for pruning maintenance.

It is not, however, quite that simple. Jason Doyle, director of Urban Forestry at City of Toronto, notes there are many “introduced” species that can help in the re-building of our canopy. It boils down to planting the right tree in the right place. (See my Jan. 30 column, How to choose the right tree — thestar.com/life/homes/2014/01/30/how_to_choose_the_right_tree ).

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Trees For Life: The urban tree coalition, Trees For Life, sprung from these pages in the Star when I sent up smoke signals three years ago looking for those interested in enhancing the tree canopy. People representing 12 charity tree organizations stepped up and have been co-coordinating their efforts through Trees For Life. Here’s a taste of what they do:

“We are partnering to help build the Toronto tree canopy by 40 per cent by expanding the Adopt-a-Tree program. Through Adopt-a-Tree, friends of park groups and community groups take on the role of adopting newly planted trees in Toronto’s parks and provide mulching, water and care during the trees’ critical first few years. Adopt-a-Tree has been proven to significantly improve the survival rate of newly planted trees.” Janet McKay, LEAF ( yourleaf.org/make-donation ) and Dave Harvey, Park People (parkpeople.ca). “LEAF is helping property owners get the right tree in the right place through their subsidized Backyard Tree Planting Program . They also offer fun and engaging educational opportunities, like guided Tree Tours and a 15-hour arboriculture course called the Tree Tenders Training Program.” Janet McKay, LEAF (yourleaf.org). “The Composting Council of Canada is providing assistance with soil preparation through the addition of compost for the trees’ new and permanent home.” Susan Antler, Composting Council of Canada. www.compost.org The Toronto Parks and Trees Foundation has launched a campaign to raise funds and awareness of the tree canopy through their unique Recover the Canopy campaign. It invites tax-deductible donations to help plant new trees and care for those damaged in public spaces, with 100 per cent of contributions directed toward these efforts. You can also direct donations to a specific park in Toronto. Take a look at treesforlifecanada.org for a list of Trees For Life members and photos of our recent work.

Countdown to Canada Blooms 2014: We are just a month away from Canada Blooms, the annual world-class garden and horticulture festival. It runs March 14- 23 at the Direct Energy Centre, Exhibition Place. Visit canadablooms.com for details.