Repopulating the province with trees is a large task, but Forests Ontario is doing its best to get millions more in the ground.
The project — the 50 Million Tree Programs — broke ground in 2008 and has since planted more than 41 million trees across Ontario.
Seven years ago the project made its way to Northwestern Ontario. To date, more than 568,000 trees have been planted in the region.
Peter Gagnon, the Northern Ontario field advisor for Forests Ontario, said there are about 75,000 trees planted annually in the Dryden area, with 25,000 annually in each of the Thunder Bay and Red Lake areas, amounting to a yearly total of about 150,000 native tree species being planted yearly.
Gagnon said getting the land ready for the trees is a task not taken lightly. Once applications for land use have been received, several things are done to ensure the land is able to support a budding forest, including land surveys, soil testing and more.
As part of the commitment to having the forest planted, landowners agree to keep the forest for a minimum of 15 years. Forests Ontario will also go back after one year and do a survival assessment and check on the sites to see how the trees have fared over the past year.
Gagnon said if 40 per cent or more of the trees haven't survived the year, seeds will be replanted.
The purpose of planting thousands of trees has many positive effects on the environment and region.
There is the environmental stability impact of reducing soil erosion and stabilizing stream banks, along with boosting biodiversity, increasing farmland productivity and creating travel corridors for wildlife. With thousands of trees being planted yearly, they will also help capture carbon monoxide and help clean the air.
Once trees are established, they will also provide shelter from the elements, like the wind and snow drifts.
The province originally funded the 50 Million Trees Project, but after it was cancelled during budget cuts in 2019, the federal government stepped in and expanded the project across the country. It has since been dubbed the 2 Billion Trees program.
A live ticker of the tree planting efforts can be viewed here through Forests Ontario's website.
