[getsmart-l] Major increase in long-term tree planting in Ontario now possible

[Media Release]

Emacs!


Major increase in long-term tree planting in Ontario now possible

Ontario government sets target of 50 million new trees by 2020

(Toronto, August 13, 2007)  The Ontario government announcement today 
of its plan to plant 50 million trees across southern Ontario by 2020 
is a major step forward for the environment and for tree planting 
agencies across the province.

"This is the single largest tree planting commitment we have seen in 
Ontario in a very long time," said Michael Scott, President and CEO 
of the Trees Ontario Foundation (TOF). "This is great news for the 
environment - for the battle against climate change and for our 
watersheds. It also means that we can now begin work with our 
partners to ensure that we reach the 2020 target."

In Phase 1 of the program, the Ministry of Natural Resources, through 
its partnership with the Trees Ontario Foundation, will invest more 
than $4 million to support the planting of 2 million more trees 
beyond current levels, by 2009. The Ministry will also work with TOF 
and its partners to build annual tree planting to levels that will 
meet the target of 50 million trees by 2020.

Tree planting agencies such as Conservation Authorities and Ontario 
Stewardship currently plant approximately 2 million trees across 
Southern Ontario each year.  Thanks to $2 million in funding from the 
Ontario government announced in last March's Ontario Budget, the TOF 
was able to help these agencies increase that number by more than 
700,000 trees this past spring.

"Today's commitment will allow our partners to rebuild the tree 
planting infrastructure necessary to get 50 million trees in the 
ground by 2020," added Mr. Scott.  "Its takes expertise and sustained 
funding to successfully plant the right kind of trees in the right 
places", observed Scott.

Trees are vital for the quality of the air we breathe, and play an 
important role in reducing the greenhouse gas effect. One healthy, 
mature tree provides enough oxygen for four people each day. It takes 
about 80 mature trees to remove from the air the four tonnes of 
emissions per year that a mid-sized car produces.  In addition to 
releasing oxygen and capturing carbon, trees help to prevent soil 
erosion, provide habitat for animals, and filter our water- all 
things that can help clean our air and protect our watersheds.

Agencies that assist with tree planting efforts include Ontario's 
Conservation Authorities, Conservation Ontario, Stewardship Ontario, 
the Ontario Forestry Association, the Forest Gene Conservation 
Association, the Ontario Tree Seed Plant and privately owned 
nurseries. The Trees Ontario Foundation works closely with skilled 
foresters in these agencies, who identify optimal planting sites, and 
work with landowners to ensure the appropriate selection of native 
seedlings for specific geographic areas.

Landowners participating in tree planting on their property may be 
eligible for The Managed Forest Tax Incentive Program (MFTIP), which 
allows landowners owning more than four hectares of forested land to 
reduce their property tax if they prepare and follow a Managed Forest 
Plan for their property.  Last year, more than 1,200 people attended 
province-wide workshops organized by the Ontario Forestry Association 
and the Trees Ontario Foundation, to learn about the program.

"As we prepare for the 2008 planting season, we want to encourage 
private landowners interested in having subsidized tree planting 
occur on their land to contact TOF or their local tree planting 
agency," added Mr. Scott.  "By working together - our planting 
partners, landowners and the Trees Ontario Foundation - we can 
restore our forests and help clean our air."

  -30-

The Trees Ontario Foundation (TOF) is a non-profit corporation 
established to promote and support tree planting initiatives in 
Ontario through partnering with tree planting agencies 
(www.treesontario.on.ca).

For more information, contact:

Michael Scott, Trees Ontario Foundation, (416) 506-1694 
mscott(a)treesontario.on.ca

Don Huff, e|c|o, (416) 972-7401, huffd(a)huffstrategy.com


Planting tomorrow's forests
www.treesontario.on.ca


Tree Fact Sheet

The Trees Ontario Foundation (TOF) is a non-profit corporation, 
established in 1994 to promote and support tree planting initiatives 
in Ontario through partnering with tree planting agencies. TOF's 
partners include Ontario's Conservation Authorities, Stewardship 
Ontario, private tree planters and nurseries, the Ontario Forestry 
Association, the Ontario Tree Seed Plant, the Ontario Ministry of 
Natural Resources and the Forest Gene Conservation Association.

    * Ontario has 71 million hectares of forested land, making it the 
second largest forested area among Canadian provinces.
    * Forests have been dramatically depleted - there is an urgent 
need for more trees and forests in Ontario. In Southern Ontario, 
urban sprawl, global warming and the cost of planting trees have 
combined to reduce the overall tree stock.  In the last decade, the 
number of trees planted annually on private lands in Southern Ontario 
has decreased dramatically. Currently, only 2 million trees a year 
are planted. This means that 20 million new trees need to be planted, 
each year, if we are to address this serious problem.
    * Thanks to $2 million in funding directed to the Trees Ontario 
Foundation in this year's Ontario Budget, more than 2.7 million trees 
were planted, mostly in Southern Ontario. Approximately 400,000 of 
these were planted in Ontario's Greenbelt.
    * Trees sequester (trap) carbon dioxide (CO2) from the 
atmosphere. They do this during photosynthesis to form carbohydrates 
that are used for growth. They return oxygen back to the atmosphere 
as a by-product.
    * About half of the greenhouse effect is caused by CO2. Trees act 
as a 'carbon sink' by removing the carbon and storing it as cellulose 
in their trunks, branches, leaves and roots while releasing oxygen 
back into the air.
    * Canada's 400 million hectares of forest are an enormous carbon 
sink, absorbing 10 to 20 times the amount of CO2 emitted by fossil 
fuels each year in Canada.
    * Trees also reduce the greenhouse effect by shading our homes 
and office buildings. Well placed trees help cut energy costs and 
consumption by decreasing air conditioning costs from 10% to 50% and 
help reduce heating costs as much as 4% to 22%.
    * This combination of CO2 removal from the atmosphere, carbon 
storage in wood, and the cooling effect makes trees a very efficient 
tool in fighting the greenhouse effect.
    * A healthy tree stores about 5.9 kilograms of carbon annually. 
One hectare of trees absorbs enough CO2 over one year to equal the 
amount produced by driving a car over 100,000 kilometres.
    * The size of trees is important when it comes to carbon 
sequestration and speaks to the need for sustained growth. Carbon 
sequestration rates can be up to 90 times greater for healthy large 
trees than healthy small trees. For this reason, good management of 
the urban forest is critical to achieve maximum benefits.
    * During growth, the carbon captured by trees is locked away for 
significant periods - often hundreds of years. Carbon is stored very 
quickly with fast-growing tree species, and they store it much longer 
than crops or tropical trees. If we re-forest promptly, a growing 
forest provides a positive balance as a sink. Young thriving trees 
and forests are the key. Most mature forests are in a state of 
balance (i.e. they store as much CO2 as they emit).
    * Climate change is already having a negative effect on existing 
trees. More trees must be planted to offset the ongoing destruction 
of Ontario's forests which is a direct result of global warming. 
There is growing evidence that environmental changes caused by 
elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) and its potential effects 
on the global climate will alter forest ecosystems in Ontario.



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