Green Infrastructure in Municipal Asset Management Planning

Michelle Sawka, Green Infrastructure Ontario Coalition

James Lane, RPF, York Region

Outline

1. Green Infrastructure Overview

2. Green Infrastructure in Asset Management Planning

3. Case Study: Richmond Hill

4. Case Study: York Region

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Green Infrastructure Overview

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It encompasses:

Green Roofs/Walls

Natural Heritage

Agriculture & Urban Agriculture

Urban Forest

StormwaterSystems

Parks and Public Spaces

Green Infrastructure Overview

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Soils

Green technologiesEg. Permeable pavement

Green Infrastructure Overview

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Business Case

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Green Infrastructure Asset Management

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BARRIER

Green infrastructure not funded or managed as effectively as ‘traditional’ infrastructure because it is not formally recognized as infrastructure by decision makers.

THEORY OF CHANGE

• Green infrastructure in asset management plans will help:

▪ Improve the management of these assets

▪ Increase access to infrastructure funding programs

O. REG. 588/17

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ASSET MANAGEMENT PLANNING FOR MUNICIPAL INFRASTRUCTURE

• Includes green infrastructure assets within the scope of municipal infrastructure assets.

• States that every municipality shall prepare an asset management plan in respect of all of its other municipal infrastructure assets by July 1, 2023

Green Infrastructure Asset Categories

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Integrating Green Infrastructure

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• Advancement in green infrastructure inventories & condition assessments

• Use of ecosystem services to define and measure the levels of service

• Extensive co-benefits

Richmond Hill2016 Asset Management Plan

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Richmond Hill2016 Asset Management Plan

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Richmond Hill2016 Asset Management Plan

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• Reported separately from Tangible Capital Assets (TCAs) in this version of the AMP.

• Asset management plans do not have to follow PSAB requirements. There is flexibility to analyze non-PSAB assets.

• Important to be clear on what is being reported.

“Richmond Hill has $1.85 billion in infrastructure assets and an additional $87.6 million in

Environmental Assets.”

York Region Green Infrastructure Asset Management

• 2013 and 2015 – Green infrastructure included in state of the infrastructure reporting

• 2017 – Develop first Green Infrastructure Asset Management Plan

• Green infrastructure includes:▪ Street trees

▪ York Regional Forest

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York Region Green Infrastructure Asset Portfolio

• Urban forest (street trees)▪ Biological – street trees, shrubs,

perennials, growing media

▪ Civil – soil cells, irrigation, drainage

• York Regional Forest▪ Biological – forest, wetland, grassland

communities

▪ Civil – trails, parking lots, fences, signs

• Bill Fisch Forest Stewardship and Education Centre

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Valuing the Region’s Green Infrastructure

What is the most appropriate and defensible method to value biological assets?

• Street trees – Use CTLA trunk formula method

• Shrubs and perennials – replacement cost

• Growing media – replacement cost

• Forests – timber value, land value, re-establishment cost

• Wetlands and prairies – land value, re-establishment (future)

Green infrastructure portfolio valued at $488 million

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Establishing Levels of Service

• Identifying levels of service for green infrastructure was the most challenging element of the plan

• Level of service includes:▪ Community level of service

▪ Technical level of service

▪ Performance measure

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Asset Management Strategy – Life Cycles

• Street trees - identify three growing environments and estimate average lifespan ▪ Urban – 35 years

▪ Suburban – 44 years

▪ Rural – 53 years

• York Regional Forest – natural communities are self perpetrating (with maintenance)

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Green Infrastructure – Asset Management Strategies

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Green Infrastructure – Financial Strategy

• Funding plan to put asset management strategies into action, required investment to meet service levels

• Total cost for urban forestry program varied significantly depending on level of growth

• Key outcomes from financial strategy▪ Need to review service levels and return on investment for some

treatments

▪ Need to establish reserve to minimize impacts of funding peaks

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Putting the Plan into Action

• Plan identified a number of continuous improvement initiatives:▪ Stakeholder consultation

▪ Separate operating and maintenance costs

▪ Need for a forestry replacement reserve

▪ Establish data governance model

▪ Improve age and condition data for civil assets

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Questions

Contact – msawka@trca.on.ca 22