Municipal Natural Assets Initiative — Cohort 2 National Project Summary Report: Florenceville-Bristol, New Brunswick
Published by:
David Suzuki Foundation and partners
Authored by:
Michelle Molnar,
Jeff Wilson,
Josh Thiessen,
Amy Taylor,
WWF Canada,
Simon J. Mitchell,
Cheekwan Ho
Partners:
Smart Prosperity Institute,
Town of Gibsons,
Roy Brooke and Associates
Cities, Climate solutions, Biodiversity eco-assets, New Brunswick, community and culture, economics, land use, natural capital, Municipal Natural Assets Initiative
The Western Valley Regional Service Commission, World Wildlife Fund Canada and Town of Florenceville-Bristol partnered with the Municipal Natural Assets Initiative to understand how proper management of natural assets such as forests could work alongside engineered infrastructure such as culverts and bridges to help manage stormwater, control erosion and reduce or prevent flooding at lower cost and increased resilience to climate change.
Increasingly frequent and intense rainstorms along the Saint John River in the Florenceville-Bristol region of New Brunswick have caused major flooding, ongoing damage to culverts, expensive repairs, road washouts and access issues for residents and emergency services.
The Town of Florenceville-Bristol had already taken an inventory of what traditional municipal assets it has and was ready to explore how natural assets could work alongside traditional infrastructure.
The project developed two scenarios that examined flood and stormwater flows in two predominantly forested watersheds. The results showed that the forested regions are providing a value of $3.5 to $4.1 million because, if those areas changed from being predominantly forest to agricultural land, that’s how much it would cost to recreate the stormwater management services to the same levels that the forests are currently providing. Developing a natural asset management plan would help protect and even enhance stormwater services for the long term. These findings provide the basis for improved asset management in the project area and beyond.
