Make London a real Forest City
The irony of living in a city called the Forest City when its tree population is less than what is deemed a healthy amount for a city is just sad. Neighbourhood Releaf co-ordinator Skylar Frank from ReForest London said the city’s tree canopy is significantly lower than average, sitting between 22 to 23 per cent while the ideal percentage is around 30 to 40.
A tree canopy cover is the amount of ground area covered by mature tree crowns. That is why it is essential that projects, such as the ReForest London initiative, exist.
Program assistant Stephanie Bezaire emphasized the importance of developments such as the freshly introduced “Neighbourhood Releaf” program.
“We’ll be targeting the 30 per cent least canopy-covered areas in the city by doing door-to-door tree blitz events.” Hundreds of volunteers will go door-to-door to offer free trees, as well as a planting. That means free trees for one, free trees for all. The only thing the residents of London have to do is say yes. “We’re trying to plant a million trees in London over the next couple years,” Bezaire said. Trees are being handed out for free, planted for free and again… it is all free. So what cons could possibly come from this win-win situation? Frank said people just don’t recognize the benefits that come from having trees on their property and often neglect the plants despite all the watering alerts sent to residents through droughts.
“We’ve received a lot of negative feedback from people not wanting to spend the seven cents it costs to water with a five gallon bucket. It’s just them understanding that if they planted a tree on their property and took care of it, in 10 or 20 years, they reap a lot of benefits and have a greater connection to nature.” With an increased canopy cover, benefits include lowering heating and cooling costs, ultimately saving residents much more money than the original seven cents it takes to support the plants. “People don’t really attribute trees to be an economic benefit, but there are economic benefits, environmental benefits and a stronger community,” Frank said. This March, Fanshawe is teaming up with non-profit organizations in planting trees across the London community in hopes to get youth involved and interested in sustainability. Fanshawe Student Union (FSU) VP Internal Affairs Kevin Kaisar thinks it is important that attention is brought to events like this.
“There’s scientific evidence to support global warming and something like planting trees, while it seems small, can have a snowball effect and make a larger positive impact on our environment,” Kaisar said. He hopes to work towards reducing our carbon footprint. “A lot of people get caught up in a culture of excess and waste and it’s harming the environment. I think that young people need to realize that we have to be sustainable for future generations,” said Kaisar. With the Neighbourhood Releaf program, ReForest London hopes to knock on 22,000 doors, engaging over 300 volunteers and plant over 100,000 trees through tree blitz and depots over the next two years. Frank and Bezaire said their team is always looking for more volunteers as tree planting events take place every spring and fall, and interested individuals can help reach these goals by signing up on reforestlondon.ca. Taking part in programs such as the ReForest London project supports not only wildlife but also leads to increased quality of life within the community for generations to come.
A tree canopy cover is the amount of ground area covered by mature tree crowns. That is why it is essential that projects, such as the ReForest London initiative, exist.
Program assistant Stephanie Bezaire emphasized the importance of developments such as the freshly introduced “Neighbourhood Releaf” program.
“We’ll be targeting the 30 per cent least canopy-covered areas in the city by doing door-to-door tree blitz events.” Hundreds of volunteers will go door-to-door to offer free trees, as well as a planting. That means free trees for one, free trees for all. The only thing the residents of London have to do is say yes. “We’re trying to plant a million trees in London over the next couple years,” Bezaire said. Trees are being handed out for free, planted for free and again… it is all free. So what cons could possibly come from this win-win situation? Frank said people just don’t recognize the benefits that come from having trees on their property and often neglect the plants despite all the watering alerts sent to residents through droughts.
“We’ve received a lot of negative feedback from people not wanting to spend the seven cents it costs to water with a five gallon bucket. It’s just them understanding that if they planted a tree on their property and took care of it, in 10 or 20 years, they reap a lot of benefits and have a greater connection to nature.” With an increased canopy cover, benefits include lowering heating and cooling costs, ultimately saving residents much more money than the original seven cents it takes to support the plants. “People don’t really attribute trees to be an economic benefit, but there are economic benefits, environmental benefits and a stronger community,” Frank said. This March, Fanshawe is teaming up with non-profit organizations in planting trees across the London community in hopes to get youth involved and interested in sustainability. Fanshawe Student Union (FSU) VP Internal Affairs Kevin Kaisar thinks it is important that attention is brought to events like this.
“There’s scientific evidence to support global warming and something like planting trees, while it seems small, can have a snowball effect and make a larger positive impact on our environment,” Kaisar said. He hopes to work towards reducing our carbon footprint. “A lot of people get caught up in a culture of excess and waste and it’s harming the environment. I think that young people need to realize that we have to be sustainable for future generations,” said Kaisar. With the Neighbourhood Releaf program, ReForest London hopes to knock on 22,000 doors, engaging over 300 volunteers and plant over 100,000 trees through tree blitz and depots over the next two years. Frank and Bezaire said their team is always looking for more volunteers as tree planting events take place every spring and fall, and interested individuals can help reach these goals by signing up on reforestlondon.ca. Taking part in programs such as the ReForest London project supports not only wildlife but also leads to increased quality of life within the community for generations to come.
