Protect Trees
Plant Trees

Our Goal, Our Mission:  Protect Trees and Plant Trees  

Plant Trees

  • Plant Trees: Help increase the tree population by planting more trees in your community or on your property. Trees provide numerous benefits, so planting a tree is a positive contribution to the environment.
  • Volunteer for Tree Planting: Participate in tree planting events organized by local environmental groups or municipal authorities. Volunteering to plant trees is a hands-on way to show respect and contribute to tree conservation.

Protect Trees

  • Support Tree Protection Measures (Tree Bylaws): Advocate for tree protection policies and initiatives in your community. Support the implementation and enforcement of tree bylaws that safeguard trees and green spaces.
  • Tree Care and Regular Maintenance: Properly care for existing trees by watering them during dry periods, mulching around their base, and ensuring they receive adequate sunlight.  Minimize activities or practices that may harm trees, such as excessive pruning, using harmful chemicals near trees, or disrupting tree roots. 
  • Educate Others: Spread awareness about the importance of trees and the benefits they provide to the environment and society. Encourage others to respect and care for trees in their surroundings. Advocate for green infrastructure and urban forestry initiatives in your community.
  • Avoid Unnecessary Tree Removal: Removing a tree is not always the best option and should be considered the last resort. Pruning and other options such as cabling and bracing should be considered first in order to mitigate the risks of the problematic trees.
  • Promote Sustainable Practices: Support sustainable land use planning, development, and construction practices that prioritize tree preservation and conservation. During construction be mindful of tree roots when digging or landscaping to prevent damage to the tree. Avoid hitting tree trunks and branches with equipment or vehicles.

10 Reasons to Plant Trees Now

  • Trees bring communities together: All around us, trees mark the spots where every day and extraordinary life happens. Standing tall and immobile, they are a focal point in our neighbourhoods and our memories.
  • Trees mark a moment in time: Although most urban trees have a life expectancy of about 80 years, the oldest tree in Canada is estimated to be between 2,500-3,000 years old. There are a few places in Canada, like the city of Vancouver and the province of Ontario that have a Heritage Tree database, which distinguishes trees with historical or cultural significance. A tree planted today will become a landmark for the future!
  • Trees nourish us: Trees not only offer us many benefits, including shade, beauty or habitat for wildlife, but they can also offer the bounty of food! There are many trees that grow fruit and nuts, such as apple, maple, cherry, saskatoon berry, walnut, hickory, hazelnut, chestnut, butternut, and so many more.
  • Trees provide a place to call home: Trees host many wildlife species, especially birds, mammals, and rodents. When it comes to habitat, every animal has its own specific requirements. Trees play an important role for animals, in rural settings as much as in the forest.
  • Trees are an investment with compounding benefits: By its simple nature, a tree offers compounding benefits as it grows and ages. As it ages, the tree grows in size, sequesters more and more carbon, intercepts more sun light, and gives an ever-expanding amount of space for people and animals to live and play. A tree that is well cared for in the urban environment may seem small, almost insignificant, at the time of planting, but they will grow and offer benefits to their surrounding environment and future generations, once in their prime.
  • Trees are gifts for the future: As a tree grows, so too does its benefits over time. When you plant a tree you must imagine what it will become in 50 years. You must imagine someone else walking beneath it and benefiting from the shade and beauty it offers.
  • Trees build resilience against natural disaster: Trees are great allies in adapting to climate change. They significantly increase community resilience in face of extreme climate events while offering concrete benefits to the population, including limiting the impact of natural disasters. With recurring wildfires affecting Canada, several cities now follow FireSmart planting principles to mitigate the impact of fires. Trees also act as windbreaks and offer a protection against tropical storms, in addition to stabilizing steep slopes to reduce landslide risks. These are only a few examples of why trees are our allies to face natural disasters.
  • Trees are a natural solution to climate change: One way in which trees reduce the severity of climate change is through carbon sequestration.
  • Trees make us happy and healthy: There is a growing body of research that shows exposure to trees provide positive health benefits. More specifically, research demonstrates that walking in a forest can decrease symptoms of anxiety and depression, increase vigor, decrease cortisol levels, and increase our ability to recover from stress.
  • Trees support us, so we should support and plant more of them! Quite simply, why not plant a tree? Whether on your property, with your employees or colleagues, or as part of a planting event organized in your community; you simply need to find a planting opportunity that works for you.

Source: Tree Canada Communications,   September 7, 2021      Click here

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