Help Us Meet Record Demand to Plant Trees

By Brooke McClelland

The people who donate to Forests Ontario are vital in helping us carry out our mission. This year has brought about changes to each of our lives, but donors’ generosity has helped us to continue our work. For that, we are grateful.

As with so many other organizations, COVID-19 disrupted every aspect of our work – from how our employees do their jobs, to how our sponsors support our activities, to how our education programs are delivered, to how we plant trees. However, this did not stop us taking action towards a healthier, greener future, and with the incredible support of our partners, Forests Ontario facilitated the planting of close to two million trees across Canada.

We have our work cut out for us in 2021, however. Record breaking public demand to plant trees has made one thing clear: Increasing our province’s and country’s forest cover is more important now than ever before. Trees clean the air we breathe and the water we drink and support mental and physical health. Most importantly, they sequester carbon and combat the destructive impacts of climate change.

It is equally integral to continue enhancing the environmental education of our future stewards, as fostering youth today is foundational in ensuring healthy landscapes tomorrow. Our children’s education has suffered immensely in the wake of COVID-19, and while we are continually looking for opportunities to improve upon our education materials and their delivery, there is an urgency in ensuring existing programs are formatted effectively for online/distance learning and developing new resources which fit these criteria.

Contributions from climate-concerned individuals help us ensure that we can meet the demand Ontarians are expressing for a greener province and the requirement students and
teachers have for accessible and engaging environmental education programming.

You can donate via our website at https://forestsontario.ca/en/page/make-a-donation.