This National Forest Week, Forests Canada and the Greenbelt Foundation celebrated a significant milestone: one million trees planted across Ontario’s Greenbelt since 2022.
This achievement was marked with a celebratory event at Heber Down Conservation Area in Whitby, Ontario, followed by a guided hiking tour highlighting how strategic tree planting can enhance near-urban and rural forest cover, increase biodiversity, improve water quality, and help reduce the impacts of flooding and extreme heat in communities in and around the Greenbelt.
As Canadians continue to witness the significant impacts of climate change both at home and abroad, strategic tree planting – planting the right trees in the right places – serves as an important tool for strengthening climate resilience, said a Greenbelt Foundation statement.
It said healthy forests help stabilize shorelines and watersheds, manage stormwater, moderate temperatures, and support local communities as they adapt to climate change. Additionally, investing in forest restoration contributes to Ontario’s restoration economy, creating jobs, enhancing economic opportunities through nature-based tourism and recreation, and reducing the costs associated with climate change.
One of Key Assets
The Greenbelt is one of Ontario’s most important natural assets, providing essential ecosystem services that strengthen climate resilience across the region through carbon storage, flood management, and temperature moderation. Its interconnected natural systems also provide habitat for 121 species at risk, support wildlife movement, and offer local communities opportunities to experience nature close to home.
The Greater Golden Horseshoe is one of Canada’s most densely populated regions, with population expected to reach 15 million by 2051. Expanding and strengthening forest cover within the Greenbelt is therefore particularly important for the future of the region, province, and Canada.
The need to expand forest cover across the Greenbelt was previously highlighted in the Southern Ontario Nature Coalition (SONC) 2021 report, Near-Urban Nature Network: A Solution for Climate Change and Biodiversity. The report identified the need to plant 54 million native trees across the Greater Golden Horseshoe region and Greenbelt to achieve 30 per cent of healthy forest cover.
The Benefits
Reaching this level of forest cover would provide significant benefits to communities across the region while contributing to broader efforts to address biodiversity loss and climate change. It would also support progress toward Canada’s commitment, made in 2022 in Montreal, to conserve 30 per cent of its lands and waters by 2030.
Edward McDonnell, CEO, Greenbelt Foundation: “The benefits of planting one million trees extend far beyond the lands where they take root. Each tree will strengthen forests, support wildlife, improve water systems, and better equip communities to respond to the impacts of climate change. This is an investment that will only keep growing in value for generations to come.”
Jess Kaknevicius, CEO, Forests Canada: “Forests Canada is proud of the role we’ve played in helping to reach this million-tree milestone, but we also recognize that we are just one part of a much larger effort. This moment belongs to every partner who believed in this work and showed up for it. Together, we are creating a healthier, more resilient, more hopeful Ontario.”