About Tree Canada

1992

Then-PM Mulroney at founding of Tree Canada, 1992

Tree Canada was founded in 1992 as the “National Community Tree Foundation”. Although we are now a privately funded charity, for the first part of our history, we were publically funded by the Canadian Forest Service within Natural Resources Canada.

1993

Tree Canada kicks off first Canadian Urban Forest Conference in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Also in 1993, Tree Canada launches Green Streets Canada initiative.

1995

Tree Canada establishes the Eterne Award to recognize companies with exemplary commitment to planting and nurturing trees. To this day, the Eterne Award remains Tree Canada’s highest honour and is still awarded annually to the most deserving organizations.

1996

Disaster strikes with serious flooding in Saguenay, Québec. Tree Canada mobilizes and launches our first Operation ReLeaf the following year to help restore that community’s urban green spaces.

1998

Ice storms hit Eastern Ontario and Western Quebec. Tree Canada responds with our second Operation ReLeaf initiative to restore urban green spaces in badly hit communities. We also greened our first school ground that year under our Greening Canada’s School Grounds initiative.

1999

Tree Canada releases our first publication about the importance of trees in offsetting carbon pollution.

2000

Tree Canada begins efforts to push for urban forest diversification in Saskatchewan. That same year we also began selling Tree Seed Kits and Green Tree Sleeves to help Canadians green their own yards and communities.

2003

2003 was a devastating year for natural disasters across Canada. Wildfires in B.C., Hurricane Juan in Nova Scotia, outbreaks of Asian Long-horned Beetle and Emerald Ash Borer in Ontario. Tree Canada responded with separate Operation ReLeaf restoration campaigns for communities affected by each of these disasters. The same year, we founded the Canadian Urban Forest Network to help bring together urban forestry professionals and municipal arborists all across Canada. Also in that year, the Monterey Inn of Ottawa became Tree Canada’s first certified carbon-neutral company.

2005

Tree Canada works with leading urban forestry experts in the country to develop and publish the Compendium of Best Management Practices for Canadian Urban Forests.

2007

In 2007 we changed our name to “Tree Canada” when we transitioned from a publically funded organization under the federal government to a privately funded charity.

That same year, Tree Canada released “Places of Green,” a documentary about trees and urban forests, which aired on Global TV and PBS. Tree Canada was also awarded the prestigious Canadian Environment Award for our dedication to environmental stewardship.

2008

In 2008, Tree Canada won the International Society of Aboriculture Award of Excellence and several M.P.s signed on with Tree Canada to operate carbon-neutral campaigns.

2009

Tree Canada deploys its expertise internationally for the first time in Armenia under the “Building International Bridges for Forest Futures” program. Also in 2009, Tree Canada finalized a formal Carbon Protocol for our carbon sequestration program. We also launched a new Operation ReLeaf initiative “BC Fire ReLeaf” to help the province recover from devastating fires.

2011

Tree Canada successfully lobbies the Parliament of Canada to proclaim the first ever National Tree Day. This event is now an annual celebration of trees taking place on the Wednesday of National Forest Week every September. Tree Canada also began supporting Alberta’s forests following pest infestations with the Alberta Mountain Pine Beetle Operation ReLeaf initiative.

2013

Tree Canada was awarded the Canadian Institute of Forestry’s prestigious Group Achievement Award for “outstanding achievement by teams and groups of natural resource managers, researchers and NGO groups in the field of forest resource related activities in Canada.”

2016

In 2016, devastating forest fires struck Fort McMurray, Alberta. Within a month of the fires, Tree Canada was onsite working with local foresters, corporate partners and the Regional Municipality to restore this community’s green spaces. By the end of year #1, we had already planted more than 70,000 trees thanks to generous support from corporate sponsors and everyday Canadians making this our largest ever Operation ReLeaf initiative.

2017

Tree Canada becomes an official #Canada150 partner with the Department of Canadian Heritage. Working closely with CN, we supported 150 tree plantings in 150 communities in every province and territory in the country to mark the 150th anniversary of Confederation.