Grey Sauble Conservation cancels annual tree sale due to COVID-19

The Grey Sauble Conservation will not be holding its annual Arbour Day Tree Sale this weekend.

“Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we made the decision to cancel the sale because we could not ensure the safety of customers, volunteers or staff,” says Mike Fry, forestry co-ordinator with Grey Sauble.

The conservation district’s annual trees sale has been held for the past 16 years and had been planned for this Saturday. Event organizers say, cancelling the event will have a dramatic impact on the authority’s revenue.

“This is one of our most popular events, drawing well over 500 people annually,” says Fry. “The cancellation of the sale will have an impact on our budget, as historically we have seen revenues of around $20,000 for this day.”

Fry says prior to the tree sale, Grey Sauble also offers a service where residents can order both trees and seedlings in advance of the event.

“​With recent announcements by the provincial government, we are not able to offer this service this year. We are very hopeful to offer this service next year,” Fry says.

At the conservation district’s board meeting, which was held virtually on April 23, board members had discussed ways that the program could go ahead with specific safety precautions, such as curb-side pickup, however, COVID-19 has also impacted the authority’s source for seedlings and trees.

“As I am sure you can imagine, our nursery partners are also being impacted by COVID-19. They have informed us that they will not be able to provide all of the seedlings we had ordered. As such, we are not able to offer additional trees for sale to the public,” says Fry.

The conservation district is hopeful that residents will continue to support the authority’s annual tree sale next year.

“If individuals would like to get trees, we would suggest they contact their local nursery or if possible, place an order through Grey Sauble next winter/spring through our tree order form program,” Fry says.

For more information about the Grey Sauble Arbour Day Tree Sale, please contact [email protected].