Council requests $54 million over four years to clear Calgary's backlog of dead trees
City's urban forestry team says 37,000 trees are in poor or dead condition, with the backlog growing by 3,000 to 8,000 trees yearly.
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Calgary's trees are dying faster than the city can remove them, and the backlog is now so large that the urban forestry team has asked council for $54 million over the next budget cycle to catch up.
The city manages approximately 500,000 trees on municipal land, plus 41,000 stumps and 2,200 hectares of urban forest. Right now, eighty-five per cent of city-owned trees are rated in fair to excellent condition. But 7 per cent — roughly 37,000 trees — are rated in poor or dead condition. Worse, the number of dead or dying trees on municipal land is rising by 3,000 to 8,000 per year.
The administration has spent an average of $3.23 million annually on removing dying or dead trees — just under $13 million throughout the 2023-26 budget cycle. The new request would bump that to roughly $13.5 million per year, for a total of $54 million for the 2027-30 cycle.
If council approves the funding, Paul Atkinson, the city's urban forestry lead, told the infrastructure and planning committee Wednesday that by 2031, the team could remove Calgary's dead or damaged trees within one year of being identified. "Dead trees are accumulating faster than they're being removed," Atkinson said. "If we keep doing the same thing, we see an increase in the backlog occurring."
The pressure is real. Since 2020, calls to 311 about public tree concerns have increased 40 per cent. Of those service requests, 80 per cent were to prune or remove dead trees or branches. Property damage claims related to falling trees or branches have doubled from 2021 to 2025.
Atkinson warned that without the funding boost, the outlook darkens. "With the current level of funding, the tree canopy will decline." He also noted a common complaint from residents: "A common theme is, 'Don't plant more trees when you can't take care of the ones we have.'" The city has committed to planting more trees by 2029 with significant federal funding, but no binding equity requirement ensures that money reaches neighbourhoods that need trees most.
How many dead or damaged trees is the city actually removing each year right now?
What equity measures are attached to the 930,000-tree planting commitment to ensure underserved neighbourhoods benefit?
We'll update this story as answers emerge.
The facts
How many trees in Calgary are in poor or dead condition?
Roughly 37,000 of Calgary's approximately 500,000 municipal trees are rated in poor or dead condition.
How much is the urban forestry team asking council for?
Calgary's urban forestry team has requested $54 million over the 2027-30 budget cycle to clear the backlog of dead and dying trees.
How fast is the backlog of dead trees growing?
The number of dead or dying trees on Calgary's municipal land is rising by 3,000 to 8,000 per year.
What would the funding allow the city to achieve by 2031?
If council approves the funding, Calgary's urban forestry team could remove dead or damaged trees within one year of being identified by 2031.
