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Ontario’s Halton Region to plant more than 120K trees as part of 2 Billion Trees program

The federal and Ontario governments are putting $1.6 million towards two projects that will see more than 122,345 trees planted across Halton Region over the next two years.

The Halton Region Conservation Authority and Trees for Halton Hills will together plant more than 122,345 trees across the region watershed, including conservation and park lands, municipal lands and private lands.

The planting will contribute to the federal government’s 2 Billion Trees program launched in 2021 that aims to plant two billion trees over 10 years. Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said in August the program has seem more than 100 million trees planted thus far.

“Through this investment with the Halton Region Conservation Authority (HRCA) and Trees for Halton Hills, we are showing how collaborative work can permanently expand forest cover by ensuring that the right tree is planted at the right place at the right time,” Wilkinson said in a news release.

“With the help of our 2 Billion Trees Capacity Building Grant, Trees for Halton Hills, our volunteer-run organization has hired a part-time coordinator, enabling us to plant 2000 native trees, each of which is already pulling CO2 from the air and sequestering the carbon,” Don Trant with Trees for Halton Hills said in the release. “We have engaged school children, local businesses, service clubs, community volunteers, seniors and the Credit Valley Conservation Authority to plant on a former landfill, school playgrounds, a busy commercial corridor, community parkland and ravines.

Hassaan Basit, president and CEO of Conservation Halton, said they are grateful for the support.

“Trees are essential to the health of our watershed and to our ability — as community and government partners — to effectively fight the climate crisis. By working together and leveraging the Government of Canada’s generous and ongoing support, we are on track to plant over 120,000 trees to significantly improve forest health and climate resilience in one of Canada’s fastest-growing regions,” Basit said in the release.