Over the past 10 years, LEAF has worked together with Toronto Hydro staff and their families to plant thousands of trees around the city. This year was no small feat. The City of Toronto’s Urban Forestry staff dropped off 350 native trees and shrubs on a warm and sunny Sunday morning to an open corner of Dean Park in Scarborough.
LEAF Tree Tenders graduates dispersed a seemingly small cluster of potted species across the field to create a beautiful dappled tree tapestry. But once the species were spread out, the significance of our project and the scale of the transformation renewed a sense of excitement amongst the group!
As the 300+ Toronto Hydro participants arrived, families and coworkers got into groups and teamed up with an awesome LEAF leader. Our 10 LEAF volunteers worked closely with each group to teach them how to properly plant and mulch a tree, and provide support for the planting of those 350 trees and shrubs!
“Working with LEAF is a rewarding experience! The Toronto Hydro Planting Event was so much fun and it was wonderful to see and work with so many enthusiastic people, especially the kids! I believe everyone walked away with a real sense of pride from all the good (and hard!) work they did.”
- Sophie Miller, 2011 Tree Tenders Graduate
“That was a wonderful experience! I wanted not only to help, but also to give my daughter a chance to participate in a planting event. I am grateful that LEAF provides such opportunities. Thank you!”
- Nadezhda Fetisova, 2010 Tree Tenders Graduate
“There is so much talk these days about children not engaging often enough in outdoor activities. When they see their parents enjoying an activity such as a LEAF tree planting event, it encourages children to participate. These children are the future gardeners. There's a lot of satisfaction in being part of LEAF events which encourage adults and children to be active participants in their environment rather than simply being passive observers.”
- Phil Gebhardt, 2014 Tree Tenders Graduate
We are so grateful for everyone who makes this event happen each year, especially LEAF’s Tree Tender graduates and the young gardeners of tomorrow who we hope to inspire! What a great sense of accomplishment. We can’t wait to share our love of the urban forest with Toronto Hydro families again in 2015.
Erin MacDonald is the interim Volunteer & Stewardship Coordinator at LEAF.
Toronto Hydro supports our Backyard Tree Planting Program and the annual Leslieville Tree Festival. Every spring we work with Toronto Hydro and City of Toronto staff to plant hundreds of trees at selected sites across Toronto.