Forests Ontario said it has made significant strides in planting trees this year, with a special focus on local counties such as Huron, Wellington, Perth, Grey, and Bruce.
The organization, in partnership with Forest Recovery Canada, facilitated the planting of 2.7 million trees nationwide, aiming to restore ecosystems, enhance biodiversity, and combat the effects of climate change.
In Huron County, Forests Ontario supported the planting of 14,035 trees this season, bringing the total number of trees planted in the county to more than 520,000.
In Wellington County, 28,490 trees were planted, with a total of nearly 1.5 million trees since the program’s inception.
In Perth County 14,610 new trees were planted this year, contributing to a total of 172,281 trees, excluding the Town of St. Marys and the City of Stratford.
Bruce County added 9,000 trees this year, while Grey County planted 91,000, bringing its total to 5.2 million trees.
In a totally separate initiative, volunteers in Woolwich Township in the Waterloo Region planted 22,000 seedlings in protective tubes beside roadways such as Highway 85 between Waterloo and Elmira.
Local landscaper Mark Schwarz had the idea to use the tubes so small seedlings could be planted at much lower cost than trees.
Traditional planting would have cost an estimated $3 million, but this approach cost $33,000 or about $15 per tree.
