Community Tree Nurseries Taking Root

Evergreen staff and volunteers building seed beds in Richmond Hill. (Photos: Evergreen)

More than 3,000 tiny trees and shrubs from staghorn sumac to white spruce are holding strong in Evergreen’s first native tree nursery, launched in Richmond Hill’s Phyllis Rawlinson Park last fall. Our second nursery, launched this spring at Downsview Park has 800 thriving seedlings of Ontario’s official tree.

Evergreen created these nurseries to improve the hardiness and genetic diversity of the native plants we use across the GTA. It’s also a chance for us to learn how to grow various native species from seeds and seedlings.

Site transformation at Downsview Park: from open field to budding tree nursery (Photo: Evergreen)

Thanks to the great efforts of our volunteers, who carefully prepared the space, planted, and tended the young growth, these trees and shrubs are taking root in plots that will be their home over the next few years until they are planted out in parks and open spaces to become the forests of tomorrow.

It is just one more way communities and nature are coming together to benefit each other in our urban spaces. To lend a hand and help us tend to the young plants, check out our online calendar for up coming events.

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This entry was posted on Thursday, August 19th, 2010 at 9:46 am and is filed under In the Field, Stewardship and Planting, Toronto. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

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