From local conservation authorities to the Premier of Ontario and even to the United Nations, the accolades for Wellington County’s Green Legacy program continue to roll in.
The good News about the municipal tree planting initiative – the largest of its kind in North America – seems to be growing faster than the one million-plus trees planted since the program’s inception in 2004.
“Finally, people are getting around to recognizing a good thing,” said Mark Van Patter, chairman of the 15-member Green Legacy committee. He noted the committee has been hard at work for almost eight years spreading the word.
County communications officer Andrea Ravensdale said she regularly receives calls from other municipalities and organizations across Ontario – and as far away as Vancouver and the United States – wanting to emulate The Green Legacy success story.
But as Ravensdale explains, there really is no secret – and county officials are always willing to help others get started.
“At first we thought it would be impossible,” she said. “But it really is a simple idea. If you have the right people involved, it’s not that hard to get a million trees in the ground.”
Last October, the ceremonial one millionth tree was planted at the county Museum and Archives in Aboyne, and with the help of a video documentary, that milestone has led to international recognition of the Green Legacy program.
Late last year the United Nations recognized the program under its International Billion Tree campaign, and just last month Premier Dalton McGuinty lauded the program at the Ontario Good Roads Association conference, where the county distributed over 300 copies of its 16-minute documentary.
“Those who know about the program are pretty positive about it,” said county Warden Chris White. “It’s a real effective program.”
While some might suggest planting trees is not a core municipal service, “I think we have a role,” White said of the county.
In fact, given “the value for the dollar,” the large number of volunteers involved, the huge volume of trees planted, and the overall results, White said the Green Legacy program may be one of the county’s most effective projects.
The program’s operating budget this year is just under $400,000 and the biggest expense is wages, explains Rob Johnson, manager of the Green Legacy tree nursery in Puslinch Township. Staff members at the nursery include three full timers, three seasonal workers, and two university students.
But much of the work, from seed to tree planting, is done by volunteers. Last year, over 3,610 people donated over 15,000 hours of their own time to the cause.
“It’s really a community initiative and we are the coordinators,” Johnson said. “It’s an amazing program.”
Started in 2004 as a way to celebrate Wellington County’s 150th anniversary, the program planted 150,000 trees in its inaugural year. That number has increased by 1,000 every year since, and this year 157,000 trees will be planted across the county.
Johnson noted that in 2004 and 2005 all the trees were supplied by the Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA) as the Green Legacy nursery was being established. In 2006, the program produced 40,000 of its own trees. The next year that figure jumped to 90,000, and in 2008 the nursery was producing all its own trees.
Johnson credited various partnerships with helping the program grow, including those with the GRCA, public and Catholic school boards, local residents, lower tier municipalities, and other groups and organizations ranging from Girl Guides, to the University of Guelph, to the Vanier Centre for Women correctional institute.
He is particularly impressed with the feedback he receives from the students and teachers involved.
From the beginning of April until the end of the school year, nary a day goes by when a bus load of students is not visiting and working at the nursery, which is located on County Road 34 between Sideroad 10 and County Road 32.
“They feel very good about what they’re accomplishing,” Johnson said of the students.
But the trips to the nursery are about more than just labour provision, he stresses.
The students also take a curriculum-based nature hike through some of forest planted in the 1940s after the 200 acre property was donated to the county by John Little.
There, students get to see the end result of the tree planting efforts of students just like themselves – from over 60 years ago.
“This is what they’re creating,” said Johnson. “Every tree we plant is a gift for the next generation.”
More and more kids each year are coming to that realization it seems, as the number of public school students involved increases each year. In 2010 over 7,000 students from Kindergarten to grade 8 participated.
“The kids love it,” said Ravensdale. She noted students are interested in the importance of the environment and seem more and more inclined to become good land stewards.
Students from Kindergarten to grade 3 plant seeds, those in grades 4 through 6 transplant the trees at the nursery, and those in grades 7 and 8 plant the trees at various locations throughout the county.
Several years ago the county recognized Rockwood Centennial Public School as the first “gold school” in the county for having every student in the school participate in the Green Legacy program. And this year, Johnson expects 21 to 25 schools will receive that honour.
With that type of growth and success, the tree nursery has become a year round operation.
“It’s full steam ahead all the time,” Johnson said with a smile. “Even in the winter it’s hard to keep up.”
Right now program officials and volunteers are working hard to bundle seedlings in preparation for Green Legacy tree days at the seven lower tier municipalities. Each year, 35,000 trees are given away at those events in April and May.
“It’s really resonated positively with residents,” Ravensdale said of the free trees.
While the program will provide residents with as many free seedlings as they want, officials also grow larger stock for strategic plantings such as windbreaks and shelterbelts, living snow fences, and stream buffers. The advantages of those plantings include less soil erosion, improved crop yields on farms, and improved winter driving conditions on local roads.
“When people start seeing the benefits … I’m hoping we’ll have more people wanting to do that,” Ravensdale said.
White noted, “Planting trees in and of itself is great,” but the act is especially important if it can help farmers and improve safety on county roads.
“I think it’s a pretty forward-thinking program,” he said.
White is among the many county officials looking forward to this year’s warden’s tree planting at Marden Park on May 2 (rain date, May 6). Ravensdale said at least 150 officials from the county and lower tier municipalities take part in the event, which features a different location each year and in 2010, 3,500 trees were planted.
The Green Legacy has expanded to such a degree the Puslinch property (including several 30- by 120-foot greenhouses, a 60- by 108-foot shaded area, and a 35- by 66-foot storage cooler) is “hitting capacity,” Johnson said.
He explained the nursery can’t really accommodate any more students and realistically, while the program is successful, millions of trees need to be planted in the county to reach an optimal tree cover of 30%.
So the county is investing in a second tree nursery in Wellington North, which will also help serve the northern municipalities more efficiently. It is expected to start operations in 2012.
The success of the program has surprised many, including Johnson, who has been involved from the beginning.
“You always hope to be successful, but when you can’t keep up, it says something,” he said. “It feels good to receive all the support we’ve been getting.”
The challenge now is to keep going, keep growing and to spread the word. That’s part of the reason why Johnson ran 100km, from Mount Forest to the tree nursery in Puslinch, on the same day as the celebration for the program’s one millionth tree.
“I wanted everybody in the county and beyond to know what the County of Wellington has done with the Green Legacy program,” Johnson says in the program’s documentary.
“I wanted to challenge everybody in the county to plant 10 trees per year,” which would total one million annually.
Ravensdale, who has promoted the program at local events and across Ontario and Canada, is also looking forward to the next milestone.
“It is our hope that we inspire other municipalities across the globe to plant more trees,” she said. “It started out as a simple idea to make Wellington County a little greener and has since grown into the largest municipal tree planting program in North America.
“We’ve planted one million trees and have plans for millions more.”
To order trees from the Green Legacy program visit www.wellington.ca or call Jacquie Wolowich at 519-837-2600 extension 3121, or contact lower tier municipalities for more information about their annual tree giveaways.
