December 10, 2021
RRCA Stewardship Coordinator Jessica Herrington (centre) distributing seedlings last spring at Gray's Creek Conservation Area in South Glengarry.
Mitigating climate change, conserving soil and water, providing food and habitat to wildlife, enhancing landscapes, and many more benefits can be achieved through a simple remedy: more trees. To that effect, the Raisin Region Conservation Authority (RRCA) is continuing its popular Over-the-Counter Tree Seedling program, where a select variety of native tree and shrub species are made available to landowners.
“The goal of this program is to make it easy for people to add trees to their properties, and thus strengthen the tree canopy in the RRCA’s watershed jurisdiction in eastern Ontario,” says Jessica Herrington, RRCA’s Stewardship Coordinator.
Returning trees on this year’s species list include favourites such as hard maple, white spruce, and white cedar. For landowners looking for extra originality, species such as the tulip tree, black cherry, and chokeberry – all pollinator favourites – are also available.
The yearly Tree Seedling program is just one facet of the RRCA’s tree planting mission. The Conservation Authority also hosts annual tree giveaways, partners with municipalities for community tree planting events, and offers a variety of forestry services to assist landowners with their planting projects. This year, the RRCA planted nearly 60,000 trees in the region, in addition to the one million trees it has planted since 1994.
Herrington says there is an evident desire in the community for tree planting. In a recent survey by local environmental initiative Future Climate Leaders, deforestation was the primary concern from respondents out of a host of other climate change worries.
“There is a popular saying that the best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago,” says Herrington. “The second-best time is now, and that’s what this program is all about. With the right conditions, I think many people would be surprised at how fast some of the species on our list can grow.”
The RRCA’s 2022 Over-the-Counter Tree Seedling application form can be found on the RRCA’s website at rrca.on.ca.
For more information, please visit rrca.on.ca or contact (613) 938-3611 or info@rrca.on.ca.