Oak Ridges Moraine Foundation and Trees Ontario Work With Local Businesses to Plant Trees

In order to increase forest cover across the Moraine, ORMF and TO are providing businesses and their employees the opportunity to learn why tree planting is so valuable to a healthy ecosystem.

“Businesses can give back to their communities and to the environment. We’re making it easy,” said Kim Gavine, Executive Director, ORMF.

There are three ways for businesses to become involved. The first, a free in-house “Lunch and Learn” will give employees an opportunity to learn why Trees Ontario and many other agencies are actively engaged in planting trees.

The second involves a donation from the business to Trees Ontario to support planting of seedlings on suitable properties in the spring of 2009 on behalf of the business. Businesses will be recognized for their green support with a commemorative oak tree being planted at the business site.

The final option being offered is for participating businesses to get their employees actively involved in planting saplings on a half-day tree planting excursion. With a donation to Trees Ontario, a forestry expert will be on hand to lead the planting and share information with participants in this great team-building exercise.

“With its partners, Trees Ontario plants nearly 3 million healthy trees a year,” said Michael Scott, President and CEO, Trees Ontario. “Our goal is to increase tree planting rates to 10 million trees a year by 2015. We will only achieve this ambitious goal with the financial support and involvement of communities such as businesses on the Moraine.”

Sign up your business or enlist a number of your neighbours in your industrial park and get involved with increasing forest cover on the Oak Ridges Moraine. Learn about planting now, enjoy the activity forever. The birds (and many others) will thank you for it.

About the Oak Ridges Moraine
Stretching 160 kilometers from the Trent River to the Niagara Escarpment, The Oak Ridges Moraine has long been recognized for its importance as wildlife habitat and a source of groundwater. It is the starting point for 65 rivers flowing into Lake Ontario, Lake Simcoe and the Kawartha Lakes, and is the source of drinking water for over 250,000 people. http://www.moraineforlife.org.

About The Oak Ridges Moraine Foundation
The Foundation operates primarily by funding the work of others and offers leadership or coordination for Moraine-wide activities. The Foundation is also a convener, bringing people and interests together to identify common ground. To date, the Foundation has committed over $12 million to 146 projects across the moraine. http://www.moraineforlife.org/about/index.php

About Trees Ontario
Trees Ontario, working with its partners, is the largest, not-for-profit tree planting partnership in North America. It is committed to the re-greening of Ontario through a range of tree planting activities. Trees Ontario is also partnering with the Ministry of Natural Resources to help deliver the Ontario government’s commitment to plant 50 million trees by 2020.

The goal of Trees Ontario is to restore the province’s tree planting capacity, especially throughout southern Ontario on private lands, by providing funding and planning support for its tree planting partners. These include local Conservation Authorities, Ontario Stewardship Councils, municipal governments and community volunteer groups.

This spring Trees Ontario, with its partners, planted nearly 3 million trees. Its goal is to increase tree planting to 10 million trees every year by 2015. For more information visit the Trees Ontario website at http://www.treesontario.on.ca.

For more information, contact:

Stacie Smith
Communications Outreach Specialist
Oak Ridges Moraine Foundation
moraine(at)smithcommunications.ca
(416) 910-8112

Elissa Schmidt
Manager of Communications
Trees Ontario
elissas(at)treesontario.on.ca.
(416) 646-1193