.In Big Cities, Green Spaces Are Magic.......Good access to nature has consistently been proven to increase physical and mental health, especially for city dwellers. Several Canadian provinces even allow health-care professionals to offer “nature prescriptions” for their patients, consisting of free passes to national parks, to improve well-being. In Vancouver, many people turn to regional parks on the North Shore, [the  UEL lands to the west, Central Park in Burnaby, and more] abundant with mountainous hiking trails among old-growth forests, for a chance to reconnect with nature. Of course, it’s important to remember that relationships to nature and land are also complicated. Many hikers visit these natural spaces without making a proper effort to engage with their ongoing significance as Indigenous lands, even though many Indigenous-led natural tours offer a more respectful way to experience them. Not everyone has the time or the means to visit bigger destination forest parks, either. Many national and regional parks may require a long journey on public transportation, or are only accessible by car. So, where else to go for a comforting, considerate, yet convenient dose of nature? Urban forests provide one alternative.                                                                                                                                                              Technically, the city’s official urban forest strategy considers all trees on public and private lands to be part of the urban forest. As a result, the definition of “urban forest” can be broad. It can refer to fully forested areas in large public parks and the street trees planted in city boulevards, as well as the individual trees grown in private backyards. Andy Yan, director of Simon Fraser University’s City Program, reiterates that all of these trees are a key part of our urban infrastructure. Every tree is a welcome contribution to the city’s overall urban forest. Yet an individual street tree arguably still differs from a tree that grows collectively with others in a forested environment. Larger forested parks can accommodate a more natural forest ecosystem, enhancing the habitat for native species of plants and wildlife. Additionally, ravines can frequently play a central role in connecting the network of animals, vegetation and water needed to sustain these habitats, especially in urban settings. Bigger forested parks remain concentrated near wealthier neighbourhoods on the west side of the city. Stanley Park is adjacent to Vancouver’s West End and Coal Harbour. Pacific Spirit Regional Park is in West Point Grey near Vancouver’s Dunbar neighbourhood. The locations of both parks reflect the general pattern of shade inequality that has left lower-income neighbourhoods with reduced canopy cover from less trees, and even fewer that are fully grown enough to provide adequate shade...... read more.....     https://thetyee.ca/News/2022/05/26/Big-Cities-Green-Spaces-Magic/?utm_source=daily&utm_medium=email