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Trees Ontario Sponsors Ontario Forestry Association’s
Tree Bee Competition
November 27, 2009 – Elementary school students from grades 4 through 6, from across the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) came together at the Ontario Science Centre to test and expand their knowledge of tree identification and conservation at the 56th annual Tree Bee competition, an initiative of the Ontario Forestry Association (OFA). As a sponsor of the event, Trees Ontario donated a tree seedling for every student participant to take home and plant.
This year’s competition saw eight schools from across the GTA participate for a total of 84 student, who all showed great interest and knowledge in the environment. The winning team of this year’s Tree Bee was from Our Lady of the Bay Catholic School in Pickering, who were also the Tree Bee winners last year.
The winning team and their coaches from the 2007 Tree Bee will attend the Lieutenant Governor’s Reception at Queen’s Park in December to present a holiday tree to the Honourable David C. Onley, vice-regal officer and Lieutenant Governor of Ontario. The winning team from this year will have that honour next year, which in this case happens to be the same team.
Tree Bee is an exciting educational experience for elementary students to explore the world of nature, forestry and conservation. The students identify tree species from slides of leaves, bark, buds etc. and must then complete a list of multiple-choice questions focused on conservation. Once all of the teams have submitted their test sheets, teachers and judges begin the process of marking and determining the top teams. The competition gives students a chance to represent their schools in a friendly, exciting and challenging way.
For more information on the Tree Bee competition and OFA visit: www.oforest.on.ca.
Trees Ontario Program Manager, Rob Keen and an OFA volunteer
handed out seedlings to Tree Bee Participants.
Tree Bee participants and the OFA mascot, Smokey the
Bear.
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