NeighbourWood launched a program for trees in a park by celebrating the forester heavily involved in Wellington County’s Green Legacy program.
On May 12, NeighbourWoods held an initial tree planting that organizer Toni Ellis hopes will become a regular way “of getting trees into parks.”
For a $100 donation to the Elora Centre for Environmental Excellence, Neighbourwood will plant a tree in Station Square Park in Elora or Veterans’ Park in Salem.
Ellis said NeighbourWoods chose those parks for the first plantings because they are passive parks that can use some trees.
The tree planning program offers more than just a tree going into the ground. Ellis said the donor will receive a tax receipt and a plaque will be place on or near the tree explaining why it was planted.
She noted that could be the celebration of a birthday or anniversary, or a wedding.
The trees will be picked by the Centre Wellington parks department, and Ellis said anyone is eligible to donate. She added that in time she hopes the program will be expanded to Fergus parks.
“You can donate from anywhere,” she said.
The first plaque acknowledged Johnson, who runs the greenhouses in Puslinch Township that provide trees for the county Green Legacy. That program has seen nearly one million trees planted in Wellington County since 2004.
Johnson said in an interview that he approves trees being planted for any reason.
The plaque on his tree honours his son, Rowan.
Johnson said many cultures plant trees to commemorate people, and he planted a fruit tree for each of his sons when they were born. He calls them “a living legacy.”
He added that he appreciates the work that Toni Ellis and Neighbourwood does in the community, and called Ellis “a burst of energy.”
He added, “The Green Legacy can support her. We try to help her wherever we can.”
