50 million tree program

This program has been falling short of its targets. Our forestry industry are great stewards of our forests. The 50 Million Tree Program is an afforestation program — it plants areas that haven't had trees on them for decades. Much of those lands are in rural southern Ontario, where a century ago, those lands were just sand dunes. The province has repeatedly said that the private sector planted 68 million trees in Ontario last year, which Keen said are reforestation numbers.

It is unclear what the government's source is for this statistic. The last provincial report on the forest sector was done for the years and found that the sector planted 63 million trees.

The government has also decline to share how many trees were harvested. With the government's focus on improving efficiencies, Keen expected a reduced budget. He had taken several meetings with the government about ways to continue their work; the government had never indicated the program would be eliminated, he said, noting too that Forests Ontario have had "a very positive relationship" with the Ministry of Natural Resources for the last 11 years.

The ministry and Forests Ontario are now in consultation about how to shut the 50 Million Tree Program down with minimal disruption. The agency is a week away from starting tree-planting for the spring season. Commitments have been made to landowners by conservation authorities, stewardships, First Nations, municipalities and forestry consultants.

Those commitments were there and had been made," he said. For as little as 15 cents a tree, Forests Ontario will plant trees on your land, tend them a year later, and assess their survival in years one, two and five, provided you allocate at least a hectare to future forest.

The landowner agrees to let the trees grow 15 years, but that deal is void if you sell the land. To date, the 50 Million Tree Program has planted 27 million trees, or 15, hectares of new forest. On average, this means that every year the program has planted 2.

According the Environmental Commissioner report, average forest cover in southern Ontario stands around 26 per cent, with some areas seeing as low as five per cent of forest cover. Landowners with the space to plant a minimum of trees about 0. More about the 50 Million Tree Program :. It increases forest cover by making tree planting easier and more affordable for property owners and municipalities. Property owners that have participated in the program were able to increase the value of their land, improve the quality of their soil, increase wildlife habitat, enhance recreational opportunities, improve the health of their local environment and leave a lasting legacy.

To date Over 9, hectares of new forest have been established by close to 80 partners including conservation authorities, forestry consultants and local stewardship councils. Figure 1. Back to Top. Steve Pitt, a local forestry consultant working with Forests Ontario, will describe his tree planting work in our area. If you are a landowner, what are your goals for your land? If you wish to improve wildlife habitat, connect forests to create larger natural corridors, create recreational opportunities, or leave a legacy for future generations — this program is right up your alley.