The OHS Lends A Helping Hand To Plant 10,000 Trees

OHS members participated in an inspirational project in Alta Vista ward last fall. Councillor Peter Hume is leading a project there to plant 10,000 trees on vacant land and on October 18^th we were able to see that, tree by tree, progress toward the goal is being made. OHS members Sandy Ives and his daughter Emily, were there and planted saplings. I was working with a group taking out the invasive exotic species, European buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica), so that native trees could be planted. It was a fun morning and Tim Horton's provided much appreciated coffee and snacks. The city of Ottawa also had an educational booth set up and distributed white clover seed as a lawn alternative. It was certainly rewarding to see trees getting planted, and planted well, under the supervision of city staff. There was a diverse and enthusiastic group of volunteers including the Environment Club of Canterbury High School. Our society has donated $200 towards this project, as encouraging tree planting is one of our purposes. I believe that this project should be supported and emulated in other wards as a way of growing our urban forest and fostering community involvement. If you'd like to see the results of this project, it is taking place on the lands off Kilborn between Featherstone and Prospect; imagine the future forest!

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