Event participants were excited to get planting!
Barkley, LEAF’s tree mascot, poses with some young planters.
The Emerald Ash Borer (EAB), an invasive insect that attacks and kills all species of ash trees, poses a serious threat to York Region’s urban forest. It’s estimated that 2.8 million ash trees will die across York Region in the coming years as a result of EAB. Planting trees and holding events like this make an important contribution towards rebuilding our vital resource, while inspiring residents to plant on their own properties as well!
Janet McKay (LEAF Executive Director), Councillor Harold Kim (Town of Aurora), Barkley (LEAF’s mascot), Sara Tienkamp (Town of Aurora) and Barb Davies (York Region) planted a ceremonial Freeman maple tree in the park as part of the festivities.
Representatives from the Town of Aurora and the Regional Municipality of York were in attendance to partake in the festivities and share their enthusiasm for the urban forest. Councillor Harold Kim from Aurora, and Barb Davies, Regional Greening Coordinator for York Region, said a few words about why they support LEAF’s Backyard Tree Planting Program and how our work at LEAF helps them achieve their broader environmental goals.
A young participant proudly shows off the results of her hard work!
As part of its Greening Strategy, the Regional Municipality of York encourages and supports stewardship and environmental enhancement on private land through tree planting. The Region has partnered with LEAF since 2006 and now offers the subsidized Backyard Tree Planting Program to all York Region Residents.
The fantastic staff from the Town of Aurora helped us ensure the day was a great success! They also support our efforts to increase urban canopy across Aurora by encouraging residents to take part in our LEAF’s Backyard Tree Planting Program.
Our wonderful team of LEAF volunteers did a fantastic job demonstrating proper planting techniques and assisting residents throughout the event!
We couldn’t have pulled off this enjoyable event without the help of our amazing LEAF volunteers! These dedicated individuals led planting demonstrations, helped out at our registration desk, assisted our tree mascot Barkley as he strolled through the park, and captured the event in photographs!
We even captured the excitement of the day in this video:
https://youtu.be/nf0Mgig3nww
All in all, the day was a great success. Everyone worked together to make an important contribution to the environment to celebrate National Forest Week!
Melissa Williams is LEAF’s Program Manager.
Photographs by Lillian Natalizio and Tooba Shakeel. Video by Ceecee Lu and Robin Blanchard.
This tree planting event was supported by York Region, Town of Aurora and the Government of Ontario. LEAF’s Backyard Tree Planting Program is supported by York Region.