Tree cover in the township continues to grow through the efforts of Trees for Mapleton and a variety of partners.
In 2016, Trees for Mapleton (TFM), the Township of Mapleton and the Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA) partnered to help private landowners plant 735 trees in Mapleton through a rural non-farm (RNF) grant program.
At the Sept. 13 meeting, GRCA forestry specialist Joseph Heeg explained in a report that three RNF landowners completed projects on their property this past spring. Funding was made available through a donation to the Township of Mapleton from NextEra Energy. A total of $3,049 in grant money was put towards reducing landowners’ expenses for tree planting projects that had an installation cost of $5,479.
“The implementation of these projects will provide many benefits to the landowners and the community, such as wind reduction over adjacent crop fields, wildlife habitat, and new carbon stores,” Heeg explained in the report.
In 2013 NextEra Energy committed $100,000 over five years to tree planting in the Township of Mapleton with TFM identified as the lead on the initiative. The GRCA carries out the tree planting program on behalf of TFM.
On March 13, 2014 the TFM committee voted to make $10,000 of the annual $20,000 in NextEra funds available to private landowners in Mapleton. 2015 was the first year that tree planting projects were completed with NextEra funding. The money is targeted towards landowners who want to preserve and enhance the environment through tree planting but do not qualify for existing programs that serve primarily large and/or agricultural properties.
“By making funds available to smaller projects, TFM is recognizing that the environmental benefit of these can still be high and they also contribute to an overall goal of increased tree cover in the township,” stated Heeg.
The Township of Mapleton holds the NextEra funds on behalf of TFM.
The GRCA provides an initial tree planting grant to landowners who have been approved, and then invoices the Township of Mapleton once all of the projects for the year have been completed.
Eligible projects are cost-shared at a rate of 80%, to a maximum of $1,500 per property on an annual basis.
Private landowners in Mapleton who meet the eligibility requirements are invited to contact a GRCA forestry specialist to assist them with their grant application and tree planting plan.
The applications are reviewed by the TFM committee and are approved by a majority vote. In some cases, less than 80% cost-share is awarded because the landowner is already receiving funding for the project through another program.
Heeg noted the number of completed RNF projects for 2016 was significantly lower than the previous year, when 13 RNF landowners received planting plans.
“This decline over just one year could perhaps be explained by the pent-up demand for RNF plantings being satisfied in 2015 when the grant was first made available, with few landowners leftover in need of RNF plantings for 2016,” Heed stated.
Plans for 2017
An additional $10,000 of the NextEra donation has been made available to the RNF program for projects in 2017.
Applications for funding can be made to the committee at any point in the year, and grants will be distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis provided they meet all eligibility requirements of the grant program and employ good forestry practices.
Heeg told council that so far, 20 Mapleton landowners have expressed interested in having a site visit conducted on their property in order to learn more about tree planting options for spring 2017. Of these landowners there is bound to be a number of RNF landowners, he explained.
“Trees for Mapleton and the GRCA continue to work with both farm and non-farm landowners in the Township of Mapleton to add more trees to the landscape, with a heavy focus on windbreaks and living snow fences,” the report states.
“We hope to keep on improving the canopy cover in Mapleton and providing opportunities for residents,” Heeg told council.
Councillor Dennis Craven noted that between eight and 10 years ago, Mapleton township was believed to have fewer trees per capita than any other municipality in Ontario.
Heeg noted tree cover targets of 30 per cent or more set by some municipalities aren’t realistic for Mapleton.
“In some ways it’s unrealistic for it to ever get to 30 per cent and that’s because it is such prime agricultural land,” he stated.
However, Heeg noted, “I think some people are coming around to trees” and Mapleton is site of a large number of the environmental projects underway in Wellington County.
“It may not necessarily be trees, but there’s may things that Mapleton people are doing for the environment.”
For information about Trees for Mapleton, contact chair Bruce Whale at 519-748-7928. For tree planting assistance, contact Heeg at 519-621-2763 ext. 2259 or jheeg@grandriver.ca.
