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Juno News

Toronto ranks white residents lower for tree planting priority

The city is basing tree-planting decisions on what a tool called the "Tree Equity Score Analyzer" which takes into account race and other factors.

Melanie Bennet
Apr 14, 2026
∙ Paid
treeequityscore.org

The City of Toronto is now factoring race into where it plants trees, using a new ranking system that deprioritizes neighbourhoods with more white residents, even if they lack canopy.

The city’s “Tree Equity Score Analyzer” doesn’t just measure tree shortages; it adjusts them based on demographic data, including race and income, to decide who gets greenery first.

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