Toronto, ON – August marks the end of the Young Urban Forest Leaders (YUFL) program, a free 4-month training and mentorship program run by local non-profit organization, LEAF (Local Enhancement and Appreciation of Forests). Since launching in 2015, the goal of the program has been to support historically overlooked and underrepresented youth (ages 18 – 29 years old) in Toronto by providing valuable skill-building experience in the fields of arboriculture and urban forestry. With its eighth year coming to a close, LEAF celebrates the more than 133 combined program participants.
One way the YUFL program provided mentorship and professional development this year was through a return to in-person tree tours. The tree tour events were led by teams of YUFL participants and were an opportunity for them to engage the public and share the knowledge they gained about the importance of the urban forest.
The first tree tour event took place at Dorset Park, Scarborough on Saturday, August 12th and the second was held at Spenvalley Park, North York on Saturday August 19th. In total, 64 community members attended the tree tours to learn how to identify the tree species that make up our urban forest. At the end of each tree tour, the YUFL participants held a shrub giveaway, where almost 500 native shrubs were distributed to the community members in attendance. Offering native shrubs through the program is one way to increase the number of native species in the urban environment, improving resilience of the urban forest and enhancing local biodiversity. To date, 1,700 community members have been engaged and 2,200 shrubs have been distributed to communities.
Many YUFL program participants have pursued employment or further studies within urban forestry and cite the positive impacts the program had on their professional journey.
The YUFL program receives funding from a City of Toronto Community Planting and Stewardship Grant and a Jack Kimmel Grant from Canadian TREE Fund. Learn more about the YUFL program, visit the LEAF website or call 416-413-9244 for more information.
QUOTES
“It is with great pride that we congratulate this year's YUFL program participants, who have developed important skills and connections that will help them in their careers in the environmental field. Seeing them engage with community members in-person through the tree tours and shrub giveaways for the first time since the pandemic has been very rewarding for everyone involved.”
- Brian Millward, Community Programs Manager, LEAF (Local Enhancement and Appreciation of Forests)
"A crucial component to ensuring the longevity and growth of our urban forest is empowering Toronto's young urban forest leaders through meaningful training and mentorship opportunities. We are so pleased to have been supporters of the YUFL program since 2017, and wish to extend congratulations to this year's graduates."
- Jennifer Gibb, Supervisor, Strategic Tree Planting Projects, City of Toronto
“The YUFL program is the epitome of the Canadian TREE Fund’s mission of increasing arboriculture and urban forestry education in Canada. We are thrilled to be a supporter of LEAF’s programming and their involvement with early-career professionals in our industry. The public imperative for strengthening urban forests in Canada is enhanced through LEAF and the YUFL program, fostering the future of our nation’s urban foresters and arborists to the betterment of trees everywhere.”
- Alexander Martin, Co-Chair, Canadian TREE Fund
PARTNERS:
LEAF (Local Enhancement and Appreciation of Forests) is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the protection and improvement of the urban forest. Beginning in 1996, LEAF has been delivering successful planting and stewardship programs that engage citizens. LEAF envisions healthy, vibrant communities where everyone values and cares for the urban forest.
The City of Toronto's Urban Forestry Branch is home to one of the largest urban forestry programs in Canada. It is responsible for the management, growth and stewardship of Toronto's urban forest through maintenance, planting, protection and planning. Toronto's urban forest comprises more than 11.5 million trees and is valued at $7.04 billion.
The Canadian TREE Fund is a registered charitable organization that was established in 1995, in affiliation with the Ontario Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture, to promote and help fund arboricultural research in Canada. Their mission is to identify significant environmental, biological, social and economic needs related to tree genetics, management and care and provide funding for innovative basic/applied research and education.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
LOCAL ENHANCEMENT AND APPRECIATION OF FORESTS (LEAF):
Brian Millward, Community Programs Manager
(416) 413-9244 | brian@yourleaf.org
CITY OF TORONTO:
Media@toronto.ca
CANADIAN TREE FUND:
info@canadiantreefund.org