Greenbelt Foundation, Forests Ontario celebrate planting 500,000 trees

Organizations work together to improve tree cover, green spaces

Yorkregion.com
June 27, 2023
Melissa Wallace

Representatives from the Greenbelt Foundation and Forests Ontario gathered in Richmond Hill on June 20 to celebrate the milestone of planting half a million trees on private and public land in the Greenbelt and its river valleys during the last two years.

Healthy, connected tree cover protects freshwater systems, supports biodiversity, reduces the impacts of climate change and provides green space to local communities, the organizations said in a release. Healthy forests also support local Indigenous cultures and economies.

“Forests Ontario has developed the expertise and infrastructure to grow and track tree planting from seed to thriving forest, and we are the only Canadian charity that addresses each stage of this process to ensure our collective tree planting efforts result in healthy, diverse forests,” said Jess Kaknevicius, CEO of Forests Ontario.

“We are thrilled to be working with the Greenbelt Foundation again to improve tree cover and strengthen our natural systems.”

Working in collaboration with Forests Ontario’s 50 Million Tree program, municipalities and private landowners across Ontario’s Greenbelt planted trees at a reduced cost through the support of the Greenbelt Foundation’s One Million Trees in the Greenbelt project. With provincial support, the foundation was able to provide grants to execute planting projects throughout the Greenbelt.

“Tree planting in the Greenbelt contributes to provincial and federal goals, while having the critical benefit of improving our green spaces and reducing climate risks in the country’s most populous region,” said Edward McDonnell, CEO of the Greenbelt Foundation. “But it’s not just about planting lots of trees. It’s about planting the right trees in the right places.”

The goals of the project were to increase tree cover using native species, reduce landowner costs, and improve the health and resilience of the Greenbelt’s natural heritage systems by engaging with regional and community planting partners, stewardship groups, forestry consultants and First Nations, to get more trees in the ground.

Municipalities, communities and landowners in the Greenbelt who identify spaces for future plantings where forest cover is most needed are encouraged to visit greenbelt.ca to determine if it falls within the project’s boundaries.