The City of Colwood and its residents place tremendous value on our natural resources, and particularly Colwood’s forest and street trees, natural waterways, parks and trails, and waterfront. 

In 2022, City staff worked with the Municipal Natural Assets Initiative (MNAI) to create an inventory of Colwood's natural resources and provide a high-level condition assessment for each asset. This gives the City baseline information to build upon.

The City recognizes the financial benefits for the residents of Colwood in managing our assets in the most cost-effective, and resilient way. Natural assets are land based - streams, ponds, ditches, trees and green spaces - therefore they appreciate in value, unlike man-made structures (constructed assets) which continually depreciate.

Colwood strives to use natural assets like ditches, ponds, creeks and wetlands to provide stormwater services (Stormwater Master Plan, 2018) and the City's Sustainable Infrastructure Replacement Plan (2019) considers natural assets a vital part of Colwood’s asset infrastructure. 

Read the report titled Toward Natural Asset Management in the City of Colwood - a summary of inventory results and recommendations