May 16, 2022
This year South Nation Conservation (SNC) is once again on path to plant a record number of native trees and shrubs across its 4,441km2 jurisdiction this spring.
Beating last years record by a few hundred trees, over 230,000 trees will go into the ground in 2022. The previous record dates to 1993 when 193,000 trees were planted by the Conservation Authority, and the average amount of trees typically planted annually by SNC is about 150,000.
Thanks to fundraising initiatives and partnerships with member municipalities and the Raisin Region Conservation Authority, SNC will be distributing free tree seedlings to residents throughout Eastern Ontario. Residents who registered for a chance to receive a bundle of free seedlings will be contacted to pick up their trees at a municipal curbside location in May.
In support of National Nurses Week beginning May 9th, SNC said thank you by donating over 1,200 seedlings to frontline healthcare staff at the Glengarry Memorial Hospital, Winchester District Memorial Hospital, and the Cornwall Community Hospital.
Donated White Spruce seedlings were sourced locally from the Ferguson Forest Centre in Kemptville and were purchased by SNC through funds raised from 2021 fundraising campaigns and with support from the Cornwall Community Hospital Foundation.
“We want to show our appreciation and support for the frontline healthcare workers in our communities who have been working tirelessly throughout this Pandemic,” said John Mesman, SNC’s Community Lands and Outreach Lead. “Trees are resilient, like us. And we hope that newly planted trees will inspire others and provide some hope for the future.”
Tree seedlings are a perishable, agricultural product that need to be planted within a limited season to ensure that seedlings can survive being lifted from nurseries and planted in their new homes in idle fields, windrows on farms, along watercourses and within managed forests to maintain a global supply of forest products.
Most of the trees will be planted on private properties thanks to subsidies available to property owners to create windbreaks, control erosion, and for small to large reforestation projects. Through these programs funded by Forest Ontario, SNC, and the Federal Government, seedlings can be sourced and planted by SNC for as little as $0.26/conifer or $0.56/deciduous tree.
Trees will also be planted on public properties, along County Roads, in the Larose Forest in Prescott and Russell, and in public natural spaces such as Conservation Areas.
“We’re thrilled to plant another record number of native trees this spring and work on behalf of member municipalities and residents to deliver essential environmental services while increasing local forest cover,” said Caroline Goulet, one of SNC’s Foresters.
SNC is a not-for-profit and community-based environmental agency that relies on donations and self-generated revenue to protect and enhance the local environment across its 4,441 square-kilometer jurisdiction. It’s never too early to start planning for next spring! Contact your local Conservation Authority to schedule a free site visit to place an order for 2023.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Shannon Gutoskie, SNC Communications Specialist, 1-877-984-2948 sgutoskie@nation.on.ca.
