Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority Encourages People To Order Trees Now For Spring 2025 Planting
by Bob Montgomery
Spring will be here before we know it, we hope, and the Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority provides the opportunity for bulk-ordering trees through the Spring Tree Order Form now until the end of February.
Ausable Bayfield Conservation offers a wide range of trees through its spring tree planting program. ABCA Forestry and Land Stewardship Specialist Ian Jean encourages interested landowners to visit abca.ca for the spring tree order form, or to give him a call at 519-235-2610, or toll-free 1-888-286-2610 to discuss planting projects. “We’re happy to help with project design and help to apply for funding for eligible projects,” he said. Funding is available in many areas to support planting trees for windbreaks, for reforestation and for naturalization.
Local landowners plant tens of thousands of trees each year, totalling more than one million trees in the past two decades. “These efforts have helped tree cover to double in the last 60 years,” said Jean. However, forest cover in our watersheds remains quite low at only 14 percent according to the Ausable Bayfield Watershed Report Card .
People plant trees for many different reasons, said Jean. “Everything from field windbreaks, wildlife habitat, bordering walking trails, to retiring unproductive acres or corners of fields to create private natural areas,” he said. These tree planting projects help protect and improve our soil and water quality that are so important to agriculture, tourism, and quality of life.
Spending time in trees and natural areas has been shown to have physical and mental health benefits, according to Jean. Planting trees is one way a local landowner can achieve recreational and physical and mental well-being benefits on their own property. An article published on January 2, 2025 by Farmtario (‘How even just 15 minutes in nature can boost your wellbeing’), documents how 15 minutes spent around trees and nature can make a big difference in someone's personal well-being: “Spending time outside, particularly in nature, is important because it can help regulate stress, boost mental health, and improve immune function ... But the good news is you don’t need to spend hours outdoors each day to see benefits. Even just 15 minutes a day in nature is enough to boost your mood, concentration and physical health.”
If you have property on which you can plant trees, consider purchasing a tree through the tree order program. If you don’t have room on your property for trees, you can still help to improve forest conditions by donating to tree planting through the Footprints to Forests program (https://www.footprintstoforests.com/).
The Spring Tree Order Form is posted at the conservation authority website at abca.ca on the Order Trees page (https://www.abca.ca/forestry/treeorders/).
Final order deadline is February 28, 2025. Ordering sooner is encouraged as availability is on a first-come, first-served basis.
