Forests Canada and Lieutenant Governor celebrate 90 years of environmental education

• National charity Forests Canada has proudly built the infrastructure and network needed to conserve, restore, and grow Canada’s forests while educating and inspiring youth to explore how forests enrich our lives in so many ways.

Toronto, Ont. (December 9, 2025) – The Honourable Edith Dumont, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, and Forests Canada welcomed winners of the Ontario Envirothon and York and Durham Region Tree Bee competitions to the Lieutenant Governor’s Suite at Queen’s Park on Wednesday.

Ontario Envirothon – a unique, environmentally-themed academic competition that immerses students in hands-on learning and discovery – recently celebrated its 30th anniversary and Tree Bee has been helping students learn how to identify Ontario’s trees for over 60 years.

“Between Ontario Envirothon and Tree Bee, Forests Canada has been delivering environmental education programs for a combined 90 years,” Allison Hands, Education Manager, Forests Canada, says. “We believe that instilling an appreciation for forests in today’s youth grows the next generation of environmental stewards – and thanks to both these programs, we’ve been able to reach thousands and thousands of students.”

For Ontario Envirothon, the Lieutenant Governor welcomed the winning team from University of Toronto Schools, who placed 14th out of 51 teams in international NCF-Envirothon competition after winning the Ontario competition in May. Durham Region Tree Bee winners came from St. Bridget Catholic School and St. Monica Catholic School while York Region Tree Bee winners were representing Glen Shields Public School.

The students received certificates from the Lieutenant Governor and were present for the official lighting of Her Honour’s Christmas tree, a Balsam Fir donated to the event by Somerville Nurseries Inc., one of Canada's largest producers of Christmas trees.

“Ontario’s Envirothon and Tree Bee winners are budding environmental leaders, and the competitions have nurtured their connection with our natural world,” the Honourable Edith Dumont says. “I am very proud to have shared the lighting of our tree with them.”

Forests Canada would like to thank the Honourable Edith Dumont and Somerville Nurseries Inc. and extend our congratulations to all the students who participated in Ontario Envirothon and Tree Bee this year. To learn more about Forests Canada’s environmental education programs, please visit www.ForestsCanada.ca/education.

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For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact:

Matthew Brown
Communications Manager
Forests Canada
Cell: 519-471-4751
E-mail: mbrown@ForestsCanada.ca

About Forests Canada

Forests Canada is a national charity working to conserve, restore, and grow Canada’s forests to sustain life and communities. With interactive education programs inspiring the next generation of environmental stewards, and high-quality forest recovery efforts supporting local jobs and economies, we have proudly built the infrastructure and network needed to help ensure the greatest possible outcomes for Canada's forests from coast to coast to coast.

Learn how you can get involved today. Visit www.ForestsCanada.ca or follow us on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, YouTube, or LinkedIn to find out more.