Urban Forest

​A forest is a collection of trees that is part of a complex ecosystem.  Queen’s Park North fits the classification of a temperate urban forest.

Canada has two types of trees. Queen's Park North is comprised of mainly deciduous trees.

1. Deciduous or broadleaf trees that generally shed leaves in the Fall.  They grow slower and produce hardwood, a dense and more durable type of wood.
2. Conifers are cone bearing and include evergreens that retain needles year round, as well other trees that do shed needles prior to winter.  These trees are faster growing, meaning that softwood is affordable, less dense and a lighter weight type of wood.  

Trees are tall woody perennials that can be divided into three categories:

1. Native (trees that have grown in an area over time);
2. Introduced (not natural to an area but brought in from somewhere else); and
3. Naturalized (introduced tree that has adapted to an area). 

Some introduced or naturalized trees are considered invasive, because they grow in a way that inhibits the growth of native species.  Just over half of the trees in Queen's Park North are classified as native trees.

Tree Details

The latest inventory of trees in Queen's Park North shows a total of 357 trees (it was 358, but 1 was removed in June 2026).  Of these, there are some special trees to note: 88 distinctive (larger) trees including 6 red oak and white oak trees that are over 350 years old, as well as 2 endangered butternut trees.  Of concern are the over representation of Norway maple trees, which are not a native species and considered invasive due to the high seed germination rate as well as disruptive to other species.  Ginkgo trees are considered living fossils as they have existed over 200 million years.

Canopy cover is defined as the overhead view of leaves, branches and tree stems and is an indication of the size and health of the urban forest.  The existing canopy cover at Queen's Park North is 72%.

The tree equity score is 87/100, reflecting how the urban forest tree canopy benefits city residents.

There are 62 different species of trees in Queen's Park North. A partial list of species follows:

1. Austrian pine
2. Black walnut
3. Bur oak
4. Butternut
5. Cornelian cherry
6. Crimean linden
7. Eastern white cedar
8. English yew
9. European ash
10. European birch
11. Filbert tree
12. Flowering cherry
13. Freeman’s maple
14. Ginkgo maidenhair-tree
15. Hackberry
16. Honey-locust
17. Horsechestnut
18. Little-leaf linden
19. Linden
20. London plane-tree
21. Northern red oak
22. Norway maple
23. Pin oak
24. Red ash
25. Red maple
26. Red oak
27. Scotch elm
28. Scots pine, Scotch pine
29. Silver maple
30. Sugar maple
31. Sycamore maple (Scotch maple)
32. Tulip-tree, yellow-poplar
33. White ash
34. White oak
35. White pine
36. White birch

Benefits of Trees

Trees in the city provide shade and lower ambient air temperature by between .5 degrees Celsius and 2 degrees Celsius individually.  A dense tree canopy reduces the heat around 14 degrees Celsius. 

The trees are good for both people and the environment. In addition to making the city more attractive, trees reduce stress and promote physical activity. They promote healing and enhance community by promoting interaction. Trees reduce air pollution, provide oxygen, reduce the urban heat island effect, reduce stormwater runoff and provide a habitat for wildlife.  In addition, the land, plants and trees have been connected with Indigenous communities for centuries.

Tree Impact Zones

At the Community Consultation on May 11, 2026, Philip van Wassenaer of Urban Forest Innovations, presented his findings on the existing trees and identified those areas of the park that were vulnerable to being disturbed by construction or installation of new elements.

DBH = measures tree diameter at breast height
TPZ = tree protection zone
RNFP = ravine and natural feature protection

At the same meeting, an overlay of the tree protection zones and the Design Concept was shown.

Programs/Improvements

In 2009, the Royal Ontario Museum and City of Toronto Parks, Forestry and Recreation teamed to create "Trees for Toronto", with the goal to renew the city's urban forest.  90 species identification plaques were placed on each of the 45 species in Queen's Park North.  The existing 290 trees were enhanced with the installation of 60 new trees.

From 2016 to 2019, 160 trees were planted or relocated as part of the almost $5M improvement project that used the landscape architecture principle "Trees First" to ensure the well being of the tree canopy in Queen's Park North.  The total number of trees increased to 358.