Ontario, Canada, April 2021
Through the partnership between PUR Projet and A Tree For You, donors can contribute to the planting of a total of 10,000 long lasting trees on 5 different farms. The aim of the project is to accompany farmers towards a more sustainable agricultural model, moving towards a regenerative agriculture of ecosystems. The project also offers educational materials and training days for farmers.
Southern Ontario – where this project is based – has the particularity of being situated on numerous watersheds (land area drained by a river and its tributaries to a water body such as a pond, lake or river), which form a large watershed called “the Great Lakes”. Small and large cities, forests, lakes and other water sources are thus located in the middle of watersheds.
Despite Ontario being home to one of the largest forests in the world (Boreal Forest), Southern Ontario, has lost more than 75% of its original forest cover. A recent study found that the remaining forest cover is no longer sufficient to maintain healthy wildlife in most southern Ontario watersheds. Moreover, it is estimated that the destruction of these ecosystems has almost halved the diversity of local species.
This agroforestry project involving farmers from five farms aims to directly address these issues by planting trees on their plots.
Trees will restore habitat corridors for local species, protect soil from erosion while adding organic matter, reduce nutrient runoff into watersheds and sequester carbon.
The selected farmers were able to participate in training and awareness-raising activities to learn about the benefits of tree planting and about regenerative agriculture.
Ontario Forests are naturally diverse and species diversity on the project is of high importance. This year 15 tree species will be planted all of which are native or naturalized and provide multiple ecosystem services. For example White Spruce has been present in Ontario since the retreating of glaciers 125,000 years ago and have an average lifespan of 100-250 years.
To ensure species are adapted to local environment, the seeds harvested are seed from local tree species. They are grown in carefully selected nurseries for up to three years. During this time, the trees are cared for in the nurseries. In their final year the seedlings are planted outside to adapt to the cold weather conditions of the area. This process ensures that trees are healthy and adapted to the local environment and are ready to be planted on farms.
Next step: With the seedlings ready and land prepared on the five farms, planting will begin next month.
