Applications for the 2025 program are now closed.

Interested in Tree and Shrubs for 2026? Click the button below to apply.

 

Interested in Trees and Shrubs

looking up at a high rise building through the leaves of a tree

 

Applications for the 2026 program are open! Click the button below to apply.

Request Your Trees and Shrubs

Application Deadline: Sunday, March 29, 11:59p.m.

 

The TCHC Program

Since 2018, LEAF has partnered with Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC) and the City of Toronto to bring more trees and shrubs, along with the many benefits they provide, to TCHC communities across the city. Together, we’re helping tenants and staff create greener, more resilient communities.

Trees and shrubs offer shade and cooling, reduce stress and strengthen our sense of community. Unfortunately, lower-income communities often have fewer trees and less access to these benefits. Many TCHC properties have also lost significant canopy cover due to extreme weather events over the past decade and tree removals due to invasive species like the emerald ash borer. Most remaining trees on TCHC properties are limited to a handful of species, many of which are non-native like Norway maple and Austrian pine.

Our program engages and supports tenants and staff to improve the local tree canopy with diverse native species that support local biodiversity and resilience. A key part of the program is involving tenants and site staff in selecting planting locations, choosing species and taking part in long-term stewardship to ensure trees thrive.

How the program works:

  • Tenants and staff submit requests to LEAF for native trees and/or native shrubs
  • Tenants and staff give feedback on planting locations and species selection
  • Interested tenants commit to stewarding their trees and shrubs
  • LEAF provides training, tools and tree care resources to support long-term tree care

Planting sites are identified in consultation with TCHC tenants and staff and large-caliper trees are supplied and installed by the City of Toronto.

In 2025 alone, we helped green over 40 TCHC communities with over 350 native trees and shrubs, growing a stronger urban forest for everyone!

"Nature is a big part of our community and is valued by the residents who live here and I think LEAF builds on this by educating those who live here about the nature we are surrounded by and how best to protect it." – Tree Care Team member

 

tenants and staff member from TCHC, City of Toronto, and LEAF posing outside under a tree
Tree Care Teams
LEAF staff member applying mulch to a TCHC tree

Tree Care Teams

We are honoured to work with TCHC communities to plant hundreds of new trees. At each site, we establish Tree Care Teams, which are made up of tenants who take an active role in caring for their community’s trees, ensuring they thrive for years to come.

“planting is a great way to bring neighbours together in harmony." – Tree Care Team member

Each team receives hands-on training from LEAF about proper tree care. We provide easy-to-follow resources so team members can feel confident in their stewardship efforts.

Tree Care Team responsibilities include:

  • Regular watering
  • Keeping tree bases free from weeds
  • Mulching the trees annually

Beyond planting and care, we work with the Tree Care Teams to host fun and educational community events that celebrate the trees and the people who help care for them!

Shrub Planting
TCHC tenant holding a potted shrub

Shrub Planting

For communities that want greening but may not have space or interest in trees, we offer native shrubs that can be planted in existing garden beds on TCHC properties. Shrubs bring colourful blooms, attract pollinators and enhance biodiversity, making them a great way for tenants to beautify shared spaces!

Since 2018, tenants have planted over 1,860 native shrubs across more than 100 properties.

Learn More
Jessie at LEAF table speaking with tenant

Learn More

Interested in finding out more? Check out our media releases and blogs to see the program’s impact and hear directly from participants! 

Media Release:

Blog Stories:

Stewarding the Earth, the Community and the Soul

Partners

Partners

Toronto Community Housing Corporation(TCHC) is Canada's largest social housing provider. TCHC is owned by the City of Toronto and provides homes for nearly 41,000 low- and moderate-income households in 106 of the city’s 158 neighbourhoods represent a $9-billion public asset.

The City of Toronto's Urban Forestry Branch provides the critical services needed to protect, maintain and enhance the urban forest. With funding for this project provided in part through a Urban Forestry Grant, the City of Toronto is investing in tree planting and stewardship on private land to help grow the urban forest. Additional support provided includes the supply and installation of large caliper trees.

Green Communities Canada has been leading a community-based climate action movement since 1995, working together with non-profit organizations from across the country to advance transformative, equitable, and lasting change. Our mission is to connect community-based climate action groups through a national network to share resources, co-create innovative programming, and elevate our collective impact. Green Communities Canada provide supporting funds for the program through the Living Cities Canada Fund.

Canadian Trees for Life is a national charity with a mission to create a healthier, happier Canada by planting native trees where we live, work, and play. Through their support of the Living Cities Canada Fund, they are committed to increasing the leafy canopy in communities across the country, and in doing so, helping Canada to meet its 2040 net-zero carbon emissions goal.

In-Kind Support

Thank you to the following companies for providing mulch over the years!

Cohen & Master Tree and Shrub Services

TS Arborist Services

Less Mess Canada