London will have to fill the equivalent of 400 Victoria Parks with trees in the next 50 years to meet its ambitious tree cover targets.

The first stage of a long-awaited tree planting strategy was released Wednesday, highlighting a goal to cover 34 per cent of London with a leafy canopy by 2065 — a challenge that will require about 2.4 million trees.

That’s about six trees for every Londoner.

To kick off the first five years of the plan, the motto is simple: Plant More.

The report that heads to politicians for debate next week is titled just that.

It outlines a recipe for increasing the forest in the Forest City — ­everything from keeping trees healthier to emphasizing native species to drumming up public enthusiasm through education and contests.

What’s clear is that achieving the plan will be a challenge.

The city’s tree cover clocked in at just under 24 per cent in 2015.

And close to 90 per cent of the land that’s free for tree planting is private property, so business and residents will have to jump aboard the “plant more” train.

“Every Londoner who cares about having a well treed community and a healthy community needs to do something. We all have a role to play,” said Dean Sheppard, executive director of ReForest London.

He pointed to homeowners and local businesses. The target is doable, Sheppard said.

“I think people have a hard time getting their mind around what’s possible between now and 2065. What’s really a lot more important is, ‘What can we do now?’ I think that sense of urgency came across quite clearly from the city,” Sheppard said.

Tree cover has taken a hit in London, down 10 per cent — about 178,000 trees — since 2008. Many of those were ash trees, devastated by the emerald ash borer, an invasive beetle species.

“We’re not catching up to the loss that’s going on,” Coun. Anna Hopkins said of all tree species. “But we’ve got time to do that. I do believe that Londoners support a healthy environment, and that is part of that tree coverage. It gives us that healthy environment, both mentally and physically and emotionally.”

More than a million dollars a year is set aside for tree planting and related activities in future city budgets. As part of the 2016 to 2019 budget, the city has allotted $1.5 million annually.

“The more trees that we plant earlier in this process, the more successful we’ll be at reaching our targets, and the less expensive it will be. We’re trying to plant as many trees as soon as possible,” said Jill-Anne Spence, the city’s manager of urban forestry.

“Trees are one of the few assets that appreciate over time,” Spence said.

Hopkins wants an ­emphasis on replacing trees lost to development.

“It’s important that we put greater responsibility, with infill development coming in, that we try to put back what’s coming out,” she said.

Sheppard said residents need to keep pace with the planting done by previous generations.

“We’re all living in the shade of trees that were planted by a generation or two of people before us. The older neighbourhoods in town are known for it,” he said.

In addition to aesthetic appeal and the incentive for people to get outside, trees play an important role in keeping the city comfortable, Sheppard said.

“People don’t think about the cooling effect or the shading effect,” he said. Moisture in the leafy canopy for which London is aiming is good for the entire city, he added.

Spence doesn’t think residents will have a problem taking the reins of the tree canopy goals.

“Londoners have always cared about their trees,” she said.

mstacey@postmedia.com

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