Our Exciting Plans for the Year Ahead

The beginning of each new year is an occasion to reflect on the previous one and dream about the year ahead. At Tree Canada, we look forward to another year of growing resilient and healthy ecosystems and communities.

Whether you’ve been a supporter for years or weeks, we know that your passion for trees and our environment will continue to be a priority in 2023. That’s why we want to share our exciting plans for the months ahead, and what we will accomplish thanks to your support.

Here’s a seasonal snapshot of what we’ll be working on this year.

Winter (January – March)

Although we don’t plant trees over the winter months, a lot of strategizing and planning is required to prepare for a busy year of planting ahead!

• Review grant applications: This year we received more than 500 applications for our Community Tree Grants program! Our team is currently reviewing these inspiring and innovative project proposals and will notify successful applicants by the end of March.
• Search for landowners to support reforestation: Last year we planted over one million seedlings through our National Greening Program! To exceed this number, we’re currently looking for landowners for the 2024 planting seasons. Learn more about landowner eligibility and how Tree Canada can support your tree planting projects.
• Prepare for spring planting season: Our operations team is busy securing planting sites across the country, acquiring the appropriate trees and supplies and coordinating schedules with our Forestry Specialists. This planning is crucial to deliver a fun planting experience for participants and optimize tree survival for urban and rural projects.

Spring (March – May)

Finally, the air is warming up, the ground is defrosting, and the first planting season of the year is here!

• Plant trees: In provinces that experience a milder winter, like British Columbia, we can start planting as early as late March. This spring, close to 80 urban planting projects will take place across Canada through our Celebration Plantings and Partners in Planting programs. If you’re helping to plant trees at these events, our trusted Forestry Specialists will be on site to show you everything you need to know! Curious to see what a planting event looks like? Take a look back at one of our spotlight events from last year.

Summer (June – August)

As the summer heat arrives, we’ll have the chance to prepare for the fall planting season, among other big events.

• Plan National Tree Day: This year, National Tree Day is on September 20th. Last year, we planted more than 4,000 trees thanks to the support of our presenting sponsor BMO and the help of almost 1,200 volunteers! Watch our video or scroll through photos from NTD 2022. This year, we’re aiming to plant even more in every province, encouraging Canadians to celebrate trees while inviting community groups to host their own celebrations.
• Recruit planting contractors: Tree Canada will be recruiting contractors to carry out planting projects for the National Greening Program. This includes land securement, site preparation, stock acquisition and planting supervision. If you’re interested to become a planting contractor for us, learn more about the requirements.

Fall (September – December)

With the arrival of fall comes one of the busiest periods for Tree Canada!

• Plant trees, again: The end of summer, which varies by region, marks the transition to the second planting season of the year. Just like in the spring, we’ll have a number of planting projects on the go this fall, from rural mass seedling plantings to urban community greening projects.
• Celebrate National Tree Day: Finally, we celebrate our biggest event of the year in September! Our staff and Forestry Specialists will be at National Tree Day events across the country to help Canadians celebrate trees at community planting events! Stay up to date with National Tree Day news by following us on social media or signing up for our newsletter.
• Looking ahead to the 2024 Canadian Urban Forest Conference: In October, we’ll be one year out from the next Canadian Urban Forest Conference, hosted by the City of Winnipeg in October 2024. Our team will be coordinating with the city to begin planning for this important event for urban forestry professionals, municipalities and community groups!
• Launch Community Tree Grant applications: Once again, Community Tree Grant applications will open for the 2024 planting seasons! Do you have a greening project lined up for next year? Learn more about each grant and eligibility requirements.

Sharing is caring: Help us grow better places to live!

We’re really looking forward to the year ahead and we hope you’ll continue supporting our efforts to grow Canada’s urban canopy. Do you know someone that would be interested to learn more about Tree Canada? Share our newsletter or ask them to sign up on our website!