Vaughan is getting greener with the help of a residential tree program that puts the power to plant in the hands of the homeowner.
A partnership with Ontario Power Generation has made it possible for environmental organization Leaf to expand its Backyard Tree Planting program to the city above Toronto. The program aims to improve urban forests by assessing applicant’s properties, providing access to affordable trees and educating residents in tree caretaking.
Applicants to the program pay between $100 and $190 for a half-hour consultation with a certified arborist and in turn receive a sapling and planting service. The arborist assesses the property based on the owner’s needs, soil type, sunlight, proximity to traffic, and the impact on energy conservation. The subsidized program cuts the cost to the homeowner in half.
A properly placed tree can shade a house from the sun, reducing the energy used to air condition in the summer, Leaf representative Michelle Bourdeau says. In the winter, the trees lose their leaves and create less shade.
Bourdeau says trees come with many additional benefits.
“Planting trees encourages local habitats to flourish, increases the diversity of native species in the area and lowers the temperature in the summer,” she says.
Cara Clairman, vice-president of sustainable development at Ontario Power Generation, says the company supports the program because it provides an important service to homeowners.
“As an electrical company, we know we have an impact on nature, and this is one of the things we can do to offset those impacts,” Clairman says.
The educational aspect of the program is especially important as many residents don’t know the beneficial aspects to tree ownership, she says.
Residents aren’t just the owners of the trees, Bourdeau says, but also their caretakers and stewards.
“We don’t want people to think of it as a city with trees, but rather as a city within a forest.”
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