Protecting Our Urban Forests

March 1, 2023

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Maintaining and growing our urban forests is essential for a healthy city. They provide many ecological benefits such as improving air and water quality, reducing the urban heat island effects, while also providing habitat for wildlife. Urban forests also enhance our health and wellbeing by reducing stress levels and providing opportunities for active living. Most importantly, urban forests help mitigate pollution by reducing carbon dioxide emissions. Improving our urban forests is critical for sustainable and livable cities, and their importance will only continue to grow as urbanization increases.

Many districts in our city have dedicated themselves to improving the urban forest by protecting natural pockets within cities, planting trees, and landscaping private properties. Lépine Apartments is committed to supporting these efforts in a number of ways. Our landscaped apartment communities use urban land efficiently and provide residents with ample space for healthy and active outdoor activities.

Our residents' mental and physical health directly benefits from the filtration of urban pollutants that the trees provide. We plant and nurturing large urban trees that surround each rental community. Each tree has been strategically placed, resulting in reduced air conditioning needs by 30% while saving energy used for heating by up to 20-50% in the long-term. We are committed to sustainability and we strive to conserve and re-use previous landscaping material to create a beautiful and thriving environment. Trees are also important because they provide habitat, food, and protection for other plants and animals, increasing urban biodiversity.

Rainwater and snowmelt are handled with large stormwater reservoirs featured in the community, reducing the risk of flooding. The collected water is then used for landscaping, resulting in a lush greenspace for all to enjoy. Not only do these efforts benefit the community and environment, but it provides a serene living experience for residents.

By minimizing surface parking we are able to maximize greenery, letting the true beauty of these landscaped areas shine. Carefully selected conifers and shrubs help reduce the heat island effect, while green roofs capture carbon, promote habitats, provide shade and cooling, while enhancing soil permeability.

Even in harsh weather, our plants are able to thrive for as much of the growing-season as possible. Due to 40 years of expertise in landscaping, we’re able to maximize the lush greenery in each community, adding to the beauty of your home while capturing carbon faster.

Our courtyards, gardens, and path networks help to create a green interface with the surrounding neighbourhood. With accessible internal pathways, both residents and neighbours can enjoy convenient access to cycling networks and walking pathways. Lepine communities are located near urban natural areas, forests, walking paths, and parks to enhance the quality of life for our residents. An active lifestyle is important for our health and wellness, and having access to nature makes it much easier to enjoy outdoor leisure activities in an urban setting.

Creating urban forests through landscaping will continue to inform our strategy as we continue to build new communities. Existing Lepine communities will be nurtured and cared for to benefit the environment and our residents' health and wellbeing. We take great pride in improving our urban forests as our long term goal is to contribute to creating a more sustainable and livable city.

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