Urban Forests

This feature-length documentary examines how rampant urbanization has changed our relationships to nature. For decades, green spaces have been neglected in urban areas, with the “hardscapes” of concrete taking over more and more neighbourhoods, especially less affluent ones. That reality underscores the growing importance of reintroducing nature into our cities to tackle the challenges of the climate crisis. 

Recent research has demonstrated the beneficial effects of urban forests. Besides beautifying the environment and providing the oxygen we need to survive, trees in cities reduce noise and air pollution, compensate for the heat island effect, curb soil erosion and help lower stress and heart disease. While public authorities have begun to invest in urban forestry programs, many innovative solutions were initially put into place by committed citizens at the forefront of environmental action. Blending modern technology with ancestral knowledge, activists, academics and keepers of Indigenous lands are driving the changes needed to ensure our renewed coexistence with the green world.  

From Montreal to Vancouver by way of Toronto, Laval, Varennes and New Westminster, Urban Forests explores nature-restoration projects in cities across Canada. Painting a portrait of a grassroots movement spanning all generations, the film is nothing less than an antidote to pessimism, proving that the “green shift” is closer than we think. Is the solution we seek just a branch’s length away?