The Town of The Blue Mountains announced this week that the municipality has received $10,000 through Tree Canada’s “Treemendous Communities” grant.
The funds have been awarded to support a tree-planting project at Nippissing Ridge Park in Craigleith. Trees and shrubs will be planted along the berm facing Blueski George Crescent, providing tree and shrub cover, shade, beautification and other benefits to the park.
“We’re extremely excited to be able to put these funds to great use supporting one of our community parks,” said Jeffery Fletcher, the town’s manager of sustainability and solid waste. “The tree and shrub plantings will be a great addition to Nipissing Ridge Park, while also enhancing our nature-based assets.”
The town will be hosting a community planting event with the help of Tree Trust TBM on Saturday, Oct. 28, 2023 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Tree Trust TBM has been instrumental in developing the tree planting project and in organizing logistics for the event. Volunteers are needed to help plant smaller shrubs, apply mulch and compost, and water the plantings. Arboreal Tree Care Professionals will be planting the larger trees on an earlier date.
Anyone interested in volunteering is invited to RSVP through the link on the event page here. Registering in advance will help the town and Tree Trust TBM plan for the number of volunteers. Volunteers are encouraged to bring garden gloves and wear gardening-type footwear. The public is also invited to drop in to see the enhancements and show support for the trees. The event will proceed rain or shine and volunteers are asked to dress appropriately for the weather.
The town acknowledged that the grant from Tree Canada was funded directly by TC Energy. Tree Canada relies on the generous support of many corporate sponsors and individual donors to fund their programs. Projects are funded based on Tree Canada’s evaluation criteria and application process, and help build much-needed tree canopy for long-lasting community benefits across Canada.
Treemendous Communities grants are awarded to support greening projects in communities across Canada. The wide variety of projects funded by Tree Canada include tree and shrub plantings to provide shade and reduce heat islands, improving habitat and corridors for wildlife and insects, stormwater retention, improving public space, and many other benefits.
