Speed Tree Planting In Orangeville
Planting trees is one of the best all-round activities a person can partake in. The physical act of digging in the earth is great exercise, the time outdoors does wonders for your mental health, and planting a tree gives you a connection to nature. In return, the planted trees provide us with a host of physical, biological, and socioeconomic benefits. Our very survival depends upon these trees that provide us with life-sustaining oxygen.
With all of these benefits in mind, I look forward to each spring as a time to participate in tree plantings. And you know what? It’s a lot of fun!
Some communities embrace tree plantings with more gusto than others, and as of yet I have found no community more supportive of tree plantings than Orangeville, Ontario. This past Saturday was the annual Earth Day Tree Planting in Orangeville, an event I was lucky enough to be helping with for the second straight year as a Credit Valley Conservation (CVC) volunteer leader. The tree planting and clean-up (which was part of Make Orangeville Shine) took place at two locations and represented a partnership between CVC, Town of Orangeville, Orangeville Rotary, Montgomery Village, Dufferin County, and OSAT.
A swarm of volunteers descended on our planting site behind Montgomery Village, and before I knew it, over 400 native trees and shrubs were in the ground. It was impressive. The volunteers had finished planting the site an hour before we expected to be done, and each one of them had a smile on their face as they planted the last trees and brought the equipment back to the trailer. People of all ages had joined the event. Several kids were there with their parents or their Cub Scouts group; church groups were in attendance; and several environmentally-minded individuals felt it was a great way to spend a Saturday morning.
CVC’s Lindsey Jennings demonstrates proper tree planting technique.
Volunteers in action. It was a grey start to the morning.
More trees going in.
What it looks like in the end.
One young man I spoke to told me that tree planting was a lot more fun than he had expected. He was in the process of planting his third tree of the day and demonstrated his shoveling technique for me. Another volunteer I spoke to was an employee at Montgomery Village, a retirement community, and she told me how excited she was to see what the trees would look like in five years. She was eager to bring some of the residents out to look at the plantings. I watched several parents planting trees with their kids, and couldn’t help but notice the smiles. Everyone in attendance appeared to be enjoying themselves. I can’t express how happy it made me to see so many people giving back to the environment and improving their community.
Combined, the amazing volunteers at both sites planted over 1,000 trees and shrubs, then enjoyed a well-deserved BBQ lunch.
Tree plantings are a wonderful way to build a sense of community and give something back to the planet, and I encourage you to attend at least one tree planting this year. It is not difficult to find planting opportunities. In Southern Ontario, the easiest was to get involved is to check your local conservation authority’s website. Also, get in touch with local community groups, they often lead tree plantings in the spring and fall. Follow Orangeville’s fantastic lead and make a difference!
argosgirl
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