If Trees Could Talk

Hamilton’s trees clean our air, cool our streets, shelter wildlife, and make our neighbourhoods healthier and more beautiful, yet many trees face challenges from pests, disease, extreme weather, and city growth that often go unnoticed.

The City is implementing a data collection pilot that uses sensors to gather data and to help residents experience our trees in a new way.

Learn more about the tree health monitoring pilot at www.hamilton.ca/IfTreesCouldTalk.

This pilot project is in partnership with the office of climate change initiatives funded in part through the Climate Change Reserve.

The tree sensors will measure things such as:

• How wet or dry the soil is at their roots
• How much water is being absorbed by the tree
• How their bark expands in the heat or tightens in cooler weather and with water absorption or drought

If Trees Could Talk converts the data gathered into storytelling to help residents see and hear from trees in real time. Strengthening the bond between the community and our neighbourhood trees, helps everyone feel more connected to the tree canopy above us.

By giving trees a “voice,” we can:

• Help people understand the everyday role trees play in keeping our city livable
• Show how weather, climate, and care affect tree health
• Inspire community to take action, like watering nearby trees during dry spells or reporting issues before it’s too late
• Build stronger community support for protecting and planting more trees as part of our climate action and sustainability goals

Meet our talking trees!