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Canadians and Nature: Trees, 2013

Canadians and Nature: Trees, 2013

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by Environment, Energy and Transportation Statistics Division

In addition to enhancing the aesthetics of a property, the presence of trees and bushes provide a variety of benefits. For example, they clean the air and produce oxygen, they help stabilize the soil and prevent erosion, and they provide habitat and food for wildlife.

In 2013, 85% of all Canadian households reported the presence of trees, bushes or hedges on their property. Households in eastern Canada were slightly more likely to have reported their presence than those in the rest of the country.

Nationally, bushes and hedges were reported by 62% of households, with households in Nova Scotia (76%) and Prince Edward Island (72%) most likely to have reported them, and those in Newfoundland and Labrador the least likely to have done so (54%).

Chart 1 Trees, bushes and hedges, 2013

Description for Chart 1

Having trees on one’s property was more common than bushes or hedges, with 81% of Canadian households reporting this. Households in Prince Edward Island were the most likely (90%), while those in British Columbia were the least likely (77%) to have trees on their property.

Properties with certain types of dwellings are more likely to have trees, bushes and hedges than others. Households that lived in single-detached dwellings were most likely to have trees on their property (89%), compared to households in high-rise apartments (59%). Similarly, hedges and bushes were most likely to have been reported by respondents in single-detached dwellings (72%), while those in high-rise apartments were least likely to have reported this (36%).

Households that owned the dwelling they live in were more likely to have reported the presence of trees (87%), and bushes and hedges (70%) on their properties, than those that did not own their dwelling (66% and 42%, respectively).

Planting and removing trees

Slightly more than one-quarter of households (27%) reported that trees had been planted on their property during the previous five years, with households in Newfoundland and Labrador reporting this most frequently (36%). Households in Saskatchewan were the least likely (25%) to have reported planting trees during the previous five years.

In addition to problems such as the Emerald Ash Borer (see text box) and damage from ice storms,Note 1 there are many other reasons why a household might remove trees from their property, such as a change in the landscaping around the home. Regardless of the reasons, in 2013, 27% of Canadian households reported that trees had been cut down or removed in the last five years. This was more frequently reported by households in New Brunswick (38%) compared to households in Quebec and British Columbia (both 24%).

Chart 2 Trees planted within the last five years, 2013

Description for Chart 2

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Emerald Ash Borer

This is a picture of an Emerald Ash Borer
Canadian Food Inspection Agency

In recent years, the Emerald Ash Borer (Agrilus planipennis), an exotic, invasive insect pest, has killed millions of ash trees in Ontario, Quebec and the United States.Text box note 1 Emerald Ash Borer attacks and kills all species of ash (Fraxinus sp.). The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has implemented regulatory measures prohibiting the movement of any ash material and firewood from certain parts of Ontario and Quebec. As a result, millions of private and municipal ash trees that have been infested or killed by Emerald Ash Borer have been removed.Text box note 2,Text box note 3

For more information about the Emerald Ash Borer, please visit the Canadian Food Inspection Agency website at http://www.inspection.gc.ca/plants/plant-protection/insects/emerald-ash-borer/eng/1337273882117/1337273975030.


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About the Households and the Environment Survey

The Households and the Environment Survey asks Canadian households about their activities and behaviours with respect to the environment. It covers a wide variety of topics including water and energy consumption and conservation, hazardous products used in the home, and the household’s interactions with nature. Data from the survey are used by governments to guide policies and programs, by researchers to learn more about Canadians and by individuals to see how they compare to the rest of the country.

The target population of the 2013 Households and the Environment Survey consisted of households in Canada, excluding households located in Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut, households located on Indian Reserves or Crown lands, and households consisting entirely of full-time members of the Canadian Armed Forces. Institutions and households in certain remote regions were also excluded.

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Definitions, data sources and methods: survey number 3881.

Available in CANSIM: tables 153-0159 to 153-0160.

For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact us (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300); infostats@statcan.gc.ca) or Media Relations (613-951-4636; statcan.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.statcan@canada.ca).

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