WELLINGTON COUNTY – Tree planting season is already underway and planters are set to put more than 80,0000 trees in the ground across Wellington County this season – a record high from previous years.
The restoration project is a part of non-profit organization Forest’s Ontario’s 50 Million Tree Program (MTP) which began in 2008.
Since the start of the program, more than one million trees have been planted in Wellington County, and more than 31 million trees province wide.
This year, planting partners across the province are working to plant more than 2.8 million trees through the 50 MTP.
The season began in April and will likely continue until the end of May.
The most common species being planted in Wellington County this year are White Cedar, White Spruce and White Pine
According to Nicole Baldwin, forestry programs manager for Forests Ontario, the aim of the program is to restore forests for the health and well-being of people in Wellington County and across Ontario, as well as the wildlife and the forests themselves.
“Overall in Ontario, the aim of the program is to contribute to the kind of re-greening efforts that are going on in Ontario and the benefits [that happen] both within Wellington County but also truly to all Ontarians and all across the province,” Baldwin explained.
“Cleaner air, cleaner water and healthier people – forests offer the opportunity for physical recreation as well as increased mental health outcomes,” she added.
As part of the program, Forests Ontario connects with landowners and refers them to a local planting delivery agency.
The program provides financial and technical assistance to landowners who want to plant a minimum of 500 trees on their property. The aim is to increase forest cover in the province in order to enhance the many benefits trees support.
According to Baldwin, it’s a full-service planting program, from site planning to ordering stock, to site preparation and the actual planting of the trees as well as a follow up monitoring in subsequent years post planting.
“We have pretty good coverage throughout the entire County,” Baldwin explained. “There’s a number of different planting partners that operate within the County.”
Among the planting partners is Bartram Woodlands, Williams and Associates, Forestry Consulting Limited and Grand River Conservation Authority.
The Grand River Conservation Authority in particular will add nearly 20,000 trees to the provincial total this year.
Baldwin noted that this year there was record demand for the program, with higher levels of interest than previous years.
“Whether its COVID related or people are spending more time on their property and on their landscapes and less access to other public trails, whatever the case may be, the amount of interest from private land owners this year was really incredible.”
Across the board, both with private land owners and also with our planting partners, there seems to be a noticeable increase in interest and momentum behind actually getting trees planted and getting forest restoration,” she added.
The planting program will be offered across Wellington County and in areas throughout the province in 2022.
