The Hive
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Welcome to The Hive, your hub for information, resources, and important deadlines related to the 2026 York Region Tree Bee. Please check back often, as new materials and details may be added as they are finalized.
Tree Bee is a unique education program that challenges youth in grades 4, 5, & 6 to learn about the trees and forests in our communities. Educators are provided learning materials and tools to grow their students tree identification and forest management knowledge. The program culminates in a friendly, inter-school competition where student teams can test their new skills against their peers.
All components of the 2026 York Region Tree Bee are delivered virtually, but we encourage you to take the resources offered and head outdoors to learn more about tree identification with your students!
Important Dates
- November 23, 2026 - Tree Bee Testing Opens, 9:00 a.m. (ET)
- November 29, 2026 - Tree Bee Testing Closes, 9:00 p.m. (ET)
- December 8, 2026 - Feedback Survey Due
- December 10, 2026 - Tree Bee Winner Announced
Important Documents
Testable Tree List
Frequently Asked Questions
Resources
Help your students get ready for the Tree Bee competition with our interactive inquiry activities and practice tests! New materials are added as they are finalized, so do not forget to check back!
Tree Bee Teacher Guide
Leaf it to Memory
Tree Identification Factsheets
Forest Literacy Question Bank
Practice Quizzes
Tree Bee Webtool
Coming Soon: Challenge your students to learn about trees in their school yard and communities using the Tree Bee webtool. The mobile-friendly website features a simplified dichotomous key. Working through the questions, users can identify 158 native and common non-native tree species.