Operation ReLeaf programs have helped communities recover from natural disasters and pests for more than two decades. From floods and forest fires to pests and tornadoes, when Canada’s landscapes and cities face threats from the elements, Tree Canada is there to support the recovery process.
It all started in 1996 with the following serious flooding in Saguenay, Québec. Tree Canada mobilized and launched our first Operation ReLeaf the following year to help restore that community’s urban green spaces.
Currently, we have three active #OperationReLeaf programs.
#OperationReLeaf – Nova Scotia provides funding to municipalities in Nova Scotia to replace trees lost from Hurricane Dorian.
#OperationReLeaf – Ottawa-Gatineau Tornadoes provides funding for private land owners to replace trees lost in the tornadoes.
#OperationReLeaf Fort McMurray is a multi-year effort to help reclaim the loss of trees and urban canopy after the devastating wildfires that struck the region in 2016.
Through the years, Tree Canada has helped communities recover from natural disasters and pests.
Tree Canada’s Operation ReLeaf started in 1996 with the following serious flooding in Saguenay, Québec. We mobilized and launched our first Operation ReLeaf the following year to help restore that community’s urban green spaces.
Ice storms hit Eastern Ontario and Western Quebec in 1998. Thousands were without power for weeks and green spaces across the two provinces were lost. Tree Canada responded with our second Operation ReLeaf initiative to restore urban green spaces in badly hit communities.
Maritime Hurricane ReLeaf was created to help the people of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island recover from the devastation caused by Hurricane Juan during September 28 and 29, 2003.
With winds of over 150 km/hour, the hurricane knocked out power for 300,000 for up to a week and uprooted tens of thousands of trees in Halifax, Truro, New Glasgow, Charlottetown and many other Maritime towns.
Tree Canada jumped into action to bring Maritime Hurricane ReLeaf to the people.
Tree Canada’s B.C. Fire ReLeaf program was aimed at replacing trees lost due to the wildfires in 2009. 612 hectares were destroyed by the fires. This was unfortunately the second time that Tree Canada has had to lend a hand to rebuild B.C.’s forests due to fires, with the first BC Fire ReLeaf taking place in 2003.
The Alberta Mountain Pine Beetle ReLeaf program, was first launched in 2010 by Tree Canada, in partnership with Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development and TELUS. It provided funding to homeowners, private landowners and municipalities for the replacement of trees and the recovery of forests affected by mountain pine beetle on private or municipal lands in Alberta.
In the summer of 2011, a devastating F3 tornado swept through the town of Goderich in southwestern Ontario injuring people, damaging property and uprooting trees.
Tree Canada immediately knew help was needed to replace the trees that were lost or damaged. We partnered with our long-time supporter Home Hardware to re-green areas where trees were affected by the tornado.
Tree Canada’s EAB Releaf program was first launched in 2013 to fight the spread of EAB and other invasive insects in Canada by partnering with municipalities and Lallemand Plant Care/BioForest. We coordinated the selection process and distribution of TreeAzin, a natural registered product with very low environmental toxicity that helps stop the emerald ash borer and other invasive insects, such as European elm scale or gypsy moth.
The Alberta Flood ReLeaf program launched May 8th, 2014 in partnership with TELUS after a massive flood devastated Calgary, High River and many other communities. Many mature trees were uprooted and left municipalities with a severely reduced tree canopy. The Alberta Flood ReLeaf program helped homeowners, private landowners and municipalities replacing trees that had been severely damaged and killed.
The B.C. Fire ReLeaf program was aimed at replacing trees lost due to the wildfires in 2017 and 2018. For British Columbia, 2017 was by far the worst fire season in recorded history. More than 1,300 fires were reported, devastating more than 3 million acres (1.2 million ha) in the province and displacing more than 30,000 residents.
