Community Led, Volunteer Driven
How did we plant over a million trees two years in a row? Good question.
In 2021 and 2022, we planted these trees in the urban environment through more than 70 community-led projects in 6 provinces.
Each planting starts with an idea and a champion. Truth is, we do not solicit municipalities for tree planting, they solicit us. Many come to us with an urban tree planting plan that is filled with hope and aspiration, but short on resources to get the job done.
This is where Trees for Life comes in. We fill the gap, wherever we can.
Take Betty Sutherland Park in Toronto, for example. I am especially proud of this tree planting project as it represents some of our best work. The City of Toronto tried multiple times to plant trees on the abandoned, west-facing hill in the park.
The trees simply did not survive. The City had a plan and budget to replant the site with 8,000 trees, but no one wanted to touch it given its history of poor performance.
Our Operations Manager, David Turnbull, saw the potential instantly and agreed to take on the challenge to replant it once and for all. For every dollar invested in tree stock, David invested equally in ground preparation, soil remediation, and irrigation. The result? Amazing growth, after just two full years. When I visited the site early in November last year, I found Rubrum (native) maples with more than 2 metres of new growth. The survival rate is better than 85%.
Funding from private donors like you, corporations, and Municipal and Federal government funds (through Natural Resources Canada’s 2 Billion Tree Program), all contributed to a successful forest of the future, right next to the busy Highway 401 and in a public space that will enhance the enjoyment of visitors to the park for many generations.
Many other tree plantings occur using the time and effort of volunteers. A planting event at the University of Guelph in 2021 is a good example. I estimate that every student who showed up that day planted an average of 10 trees. The result was a new forest on an east-facing hillside with nearly 700 new trees, about a meter and a half high the day that they were planted.
Last year, we continued our reforestation of the massive Sunnybrook Health Sciences campus, where volunteers again were relied upon to plant over 500 trees. Again, success.
Only this time we planted to honour healthcare heroes and to support the positive outcomes that science tells us trees and nature deliver to people recovering from medical issues.
You can purchase a Hero Tree to honour your hero, however you define them, by visiting our website. One tree is $150 and we will send a certificate to the person you wish to honour, indicating that you have said thank you to them this way. A living tribute to people that you love, admire, or both. Of course, you can donate in the amount that is right for you, your gift will help us plant trees right across the country and all donations are tax-deductible. We are grateful for your generosity.
This is Trees For Life, Trees For Heroes.
As we enter our third season of planting, let’s think about the people we want to honour. Valentine’s Day (week? Or month?) is the perfect time to make a meaningful investment in the relationships that you cherish by buying a tree. No?
I purchased a tree for my sister Nora, who is a doctor at Hamilton Health Sciences.
This month, I am going to take my own advice and buy a tree for my wife Mary, and I am going to remind her of the fabulous partner she has been for 42 years: 4 kids and 6 grandkids later.
Come to think of it, maybe I should buy a tree for each of them also? And a special one for my new granddaughter Matilda, who arrived on January 8th.
Perhaps it is time I took my own advice.
Trees For Life: you will see more of us in the Globe and Mail, in magazines like Maclean’s, Toronto Life, Chatelaine, and Harrowsmith, not to mention transit shelters in urban centres like Vancouver, Edmonton, Toronto, and the GTA and Fredericton.
When you see these messages, I hope you will remember: Community Led, Volunteer Driven.
Trees For Life is here for you. Let us know if you would like to plant some trees in your community.
With sincere best wishes,
