The Ontario government is committed to fighting climate change and greening the province. While 80 per cent of Ontarians live in urban areas, our urban forests are under increasing stress from expanding development, climate change and air pollution.

Planting more native trees in Ontario cities will improve air and water quality, increase energy conservation, provide habitat for birds and wildlife, and moderate the urban climate and the stress of urban life.

The program will encourage people to plant trees in cities across the province. It will foster a healthier environment while building awareness of the important benefits that trees and the urban forest bring to our daily lives among individuals, families, school groups and community organizations.

The Urban Tree Planting Program

Tree Planting

• Over a two-year period – 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 – the Ministry of Natural Resources will invest $1 million and partner with the organization Evergreen to enable 100,000 trees to be planted in Ontario’s urban green spaces.

• Evergreen is a national, not-for-profit charitable organization whose mission is to bring people and nature together for the benefit of both. Evergreen has distributed nearly $2.5 million in direct grants, in addition to expert assistance, to help transform over 2,800 school grounds and public spaces across Canada.

• Tree planting activities will be done on parklands, school grounds, conservation areas, corporate lands and industrial parks with public access, university campuses, hospital grounds, rooftops, utility corridors and road allowances, boulevards and medians.

• Groups will be invited to submit proposals to Evergreen for funding to buy native trees. The trees will be about one metre tall to help ensure their survival in urban conditions.

• Proposals will be assessed using four main criteria:
- commitment to good site-selection, post-planting care and site monitoring
- number of native trees planted
- level of community engagement, and
- improving energy conservation through tree planting activities around buildings that provide shade in the summer and sun in the winter.

• All planting plans must be reviewed by a qualified forester, landscape architect or equivalent professional.

• The program will engage the province’s existing partners, such as the Trees Ontario Foundation, and tie into existing provincial initiatives including stewardship councils and the Community Fisheries and Wildlife Involvement Program grants. Evergreen will work with partners to identify suitable native species and to find appropriate sites for urban planting.

• The program is designed to involve people of all ages and backgrounds in planting a tree native to their part of the province.

Education and Outreach

• Evergreen will host up to 50 workshops over the two-year period, to build the capacity of environmental stewardship groups, social service agencies, schools and others to plan, implement and steward successful community naturalization projects.

• Evergreen will launch a province-wide media campaign that will include media releases, advertisements in community newspapers and broadcast media, and website content.

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Contact:
Stuart Mallany
Regional Strategic Development
705-755-3205

Disponible en français
ontario.ca/mnr