2021 – Year in Review

By Joana Carreira

As we near the end of 2021, we find ourselves reflecting on the many highlights, challenges and achievements from this past year. While we, like many other organizations, continue to feel the ongoing effects of COVID-19, there is still much we have to celebrate.

After a decade working out of our downtown Toronto location, we moved our head office to Barrie, Ontario in September, bringing us closer to many of our partners and the surrounding natural beauty of our new home.

Dedicated to the protection, conservation, and revitalization of ecosystems worldwide, the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (Decade) launched earlier this June on World Environment Day. Forests Ontario is proud to be one of several organizations in North America to be named an official Restoration Implementer, helping to promote the Decade, strengthen restoration capacities, and lead restoration efforts through our multiple projects and programs.

Forest Restoration and Management

Forests Ontario had a successful planting season which saw 2.8 million trees take root through the 50 Million Tree Program, bringing the cumulative program total to 34 million trees and growing!

Our Grasslands Stewardship Initiative supports the creation, maintenance, and enhancement of Ontario’s grasslands. In 2021, this program supported roughly 250 hectares of grasslands across Southern Ontario.

On November 9, Toronto City Council approved the contract with Forests Ontario to supply and deliver native source-identified trees and shrubs over ten years through the Tree Seed Diversity Program. These native seeds are crucial to the health and biodiversity of our province’s rural and urban ecosystems.

Forest Education

To ensure a greener and healthier tomorrow for generations to come, it is imperative that we engage our future stewards through various educational programs and activities.

This year, we created new virtual resources for students, educators, and schools so they could continue to participate in our programs during the pandemic. One such program was the 2021 Ontario Envirothon, reaching 100 students and educators across 12 schools. The winning team, from the University of Toronto Schools, represented Ontario in the NCF-Envirothon competition in the United States, and was the highest ranked Canadian team, placing 8th overall. The team also took 1st in the Forestry Eco-Station.

Our longest running education program, Tree Bee, also had a phenomenal year, reaching more than 100 students, a new record for York Region. Forestry in the Classroom successfully conducted 32 virtual presentations and engaged with more than 900 students across the province.

Community Engagement

Forests Ontario continues to partner with First Nations communities and organizations across the province to deliver our Reconciliation Community Tree Plant program (RCTP). Now in its second year, the program offers a unique platform to share stories and knowledge, while highlighting the importance of reconciliation and ecological restoration. We participated in two events this fall, and wish to thank our many partners as we plan for more events to come.

For the eleventh year in a row, Forests Ontario participated in The Distillery Winter Village in Toronto, sourcing and supplying a beautiful 55-foot centrepiece tree. We also sold holiday trees and wreaths online for pick-up on-site.

The generosity and dedication of our community of members, partners, donors, sponsors and supporters helped to make these achievements possible, and we thank you all!