Tree Ontario Thanks Participating Partners and Landowners for
the Most Successful Landowner Workshop Series to Date

March 2009 - This past winter Trees Ontario, the Ontario Forestry Association (OFA) and select partners hosted a series of eight free landowner workshops across the province with over 430 landowners attending, making it our most successful workshop series to date.
 
The workshops ran province wide from February 11 - March 4 in communities across Ontario, as south-west as Strathroy (near London) and as north-west as Eganville (near Ottawa).

The focus of these workshops was to generate awareness around the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources' 50 Million Tree Program and to inform landowners how they can become involved with their local tree planting agencies to participate in the program.

The winter workshops provided an opportunity for planting agency partners to profile their own programs and the work that they are doing in their communities, as well as to meet local landowners. Attendees also had the chance to learn about Trees Ontario's various tree planting incentive programs and the Managed Forest Tax Incentive Program (MFTIP), administered by the OFA, which can significantly lower eligible landowners' property taxes.

Many attendees commented that they knew nothing about the programs available to them, and the workshops were a perfect opportunity to learn how they could take part and plant trees on their property while saving money.

One landowner in Belleville said: "This workshop was very well organized with excellent presenters who knew their information."

A series of fall workshops is being planned and will be held across southern Ontario during the fall 2009. Stay tuned to the Trees Ontario website for more details on dates and locations.

 Don Gummer, Trees Ontario Field Advisor, presents to a local
group of landowners in Oro, ON.

Pictured here is Carla Grant, Ontario Forestry Association's
Executive Director and Don Gummer, Trees Ontario Field Advisor.