Selkirk’s success in natural asset management was recognized this spring when two city managers presented on the topic at a prestigious national conference.
Selkirk’s Travis Vandenbrand and Mihali Schindle were presenters at the Canadian Network of Asset Managers (CNAM) Annual Conference in Edmonton, held May 6-9.
Vandenbrand, Manager of Parks and Recreation Facilities, and Schindle, Manager of Climate Action and Environmental Services, spoke about Selkirk’s natural asset management journey and discussed the evolution of the city’s Natural Asset Management Program, including urban forestry and naturalization initiatives.
Leaders in asset management and climate change adaptation
CNAM is the association of public infrastructure asset management in Canada, and it was established by municipalities, for municipalities. The annual conference brings together government and private sector members from the across the country to engage, network and learn during the three-day event.
Selkirk is known in the CNAM world as a past winner of the prestigious Tereo Award – given annually to a city that demonstrates leadership in asset management. Selkirk was presented the Tereo in 2019, less than five years after it released its Capital Asset Management Strategy 2016-2020.
Selkirk CAO, and former member of the CNAM Board of Directors, Duane Nicol said beyond the city’s presentation, two other presentations during the conferenced used Selkirk’s work as example to follow.
“I’m proud of our team for the work they do every day. They have pride in their work and their efforts have made Selkirk a leader in asset management and climate change adaptation,” Nicol said.
“Being able to share our work is an honour in and of itself, but when other experts are pointing to what we are doing here in Selkirk and calling it innovative and ‘leading practice’, well that goes to show that we have something very special going on here. It’s what happens at the intersection of a Council with a bold vision, and a team of creative, dedicated, and engaged municipal professionals.”
Networking with different asset management champions provides benefit for Selkirk
For Vandenbrand, the entire experience was valuable.
“It was an honour to present at CNAM with Mihali,” he said.
“The opportunity to network with different asset management champions throughout Canada provides a lot of benefit and the knowledge sharing is extremely valuable as we continue to learn about different strategies.”
“Our presentation was highlighting the Selkirk natural asset management journey, and we were able to have many conversations after our session with fellow delegates that are somewhere along a similar journey. CNAM allows asset managers to share their experiences and outcomes with peers so that everyone can learn from each other along the journey. The networking continues long after the conference is over and we can continue to learn from each other as we embark on new initiatives.”
The city’s win of the 2019 Tereo was credited to Selkirk’s commitment to using the principles of asset management to integrate its Climate Change Adaptation Strategy into day-to-day city operations.
Climate change adaptation is a term used for the work done to prepare for the negative consequences of a warmer, more chaotic climate. Selkirk’s Climate Adaptation Strategy called for the creation of its Street Tree Policy, Tree Inventory and Urban Forestry Program.
Treating natural assets as we do traditional assets
“Our presentation outlined Selkirk’s ongoing efforts to expand its urban canopy and manage natural assets like trees with the same diligence as grey infrastructure, such as roads and buildings, to help mitigate and adapt to climate change,” Schindle said.\
“We talked about the evolution of the city’s Urban Forestry Program and Tree Inventory, which were driven by the city’s Climate Change Adaptation Strategy and how our Street Tree Policy helps guide priority tree planting locations throughout the city.”
The city began taking inventory of its trees in 2019, with a team heading out and systematically creating a database that tells the story of the city’s trees. Data collected includes where trees are located, what type, condition, diameter at breast height and whether there are pests on the tree and if it has sustained injury from either mechanical or natural causes. The information is used to help determine the value of the tree as a city asset.
Selkirk now uses industry leading i-tree software while it continues to update its inventory.
The city currently has 8,000 public trees along roads and in parks, not including fully forested areas like the trails in Selkirk Park. This year the city is planting about 260 trees along Main Street and on medians and boulevards throughout Selkirk. The locations of new trees are determined by both the Tree Inventory, which lets the city know where trees that are approaching the end of their life are located, and the Street Tree Policy, which considers everything from existing species diversity and a street’s potential for overland flooding due to Land Drainage System overcapacity.
Trees are also part of the plan when a city street is reconstructed.
Naturalizing various spaces to promote biodiversity and environmentally manage spaces
There are several pilot projects taking place that aim to move to naturalization of various spaces, including boulevards and in parks. Naturalization supports pollinators and promotes boulevard tree health but also allows the city to reallocate staffing resources – due to less maintenance requirements – and reduces emissions since the city isn’t driving to the location and cutting grass.
About 5,000 square-feet in Selkirk Park have been cultivated to test wildflower meadow, tall grass prairie and organic sports turf.
“The Selkirk Natural Asset Management Journey highlighted several areas that the city has been focussing on in the last few years such as urban forestry, boulevard naturalization pilot projects and greenspace management,” Vandenbrand said.
“The public perception has historically been that park greenspace should be short turfgrass that gets cut frequently. That idea is shifting with citizens wanting to see more wild spaces. The city is exploring the possibility of naturalizing under-utilized greenspace due to environmental benefits. There is still a need for turfgrass in designated play areas but identifying the purpose of specific open spaces will help in prioritizing the green spaces that may get naturalized in the future.”
The city has also begun switching its vehicles to electric and has purchased electric forestry equipment as well, in an effort to reduce greenhouse gases and maintenance.
