Trees are Watershed Heroes
Planting a tree is a simple action with a lot of benefits. Trees in our communities help fight climate change by storing carbon dioxide and providing natural cooling on hot summer days. In fact, a mature tree can absorb over 48 pounds of carbon dioxide in one year. Trees also create wildlife habitat, help protect against flooding and beautify our communities.
We’re helping to restore nature and protect the Credit River Watershed one tree at time through our community, youth and corporate programs.
Taking Care of Newly Planted Trees
Every spring and fall we host community tree planting events and offer volunteer and corporate stewardship programs to help get more trees in the ground. For two to three years after trees and shrubs are planted, we assess their survival.
During assessments, we collect data about maintenance needs, survival rates and opportunities for additional planting. We use this information to inform future efforts to make sure we’re meeting our goal of a 75 per cent survival rate at each site. We also water trees and shrubs and trim around trees.
It Takes a Community to Create a Healthy Environment
Of course, we couldn’t do all this work without our many volunteers who give their time and energy to create positive environmental change.
In 2023, we connected with over 4,500 volunteers through our community, youth and corporate programs. Our volunteers contributed over 15,000 hours of their time to plant almost 8,500 native trees and shrubs. Volunteers also helped naturalize almost 42,000 square metres of land throughout the watershed. That’s about the size of 27 hockey rinks!
Take Action in Your Community
There are many ways to get involved and take action in your community:
- Sign up for an upcoming community tree planting event
- Learn about our youth volunteer opportunities
- Apply for a long-term volunteer role
- Learn about our Corporate Conservation Program
- Discover more programs to plant trees
By: Jamie Williams, Specialist, Marketing and Communications
Our school is looking for an organization to help provide us with some trees for our outdoor learning spaces, in Dufferin County. Do you know who might be able to help us? Thank you in advance!
Hi Emily, thank you for your message. We are reviewing your request and will be in touch via your email address.