In all, we planted 125 trees and 175 shrubs; 300 new native species will create habitat, provide food, mititgate storm water and clean the air as they grow. Our colour-coded teams met their leaders (most Tree Tenders graduates) and were off to work! Twenty-five Volunteer Planting Leaders provided a safety orientation and planting demonstration for the 289 Toronto Hydro staff and their families to make sure we were all working safely and properly over the next two hours.
Once the teams had a good idea of what to do, they picked up their shovels, grabbed the closest tree or shrub, and we were off! Watching that many dedicated volunteers working side-by-side was inspiring, to say the least. Then came the mulch!
Volunteers were shown the proper way to mulch: by building a donut shape away from the base of the tree, but wide enough to support the roots.
They may not look like much without their leaves, but the species have been carefully selected for this location. In a few weeks their leaves will start to appear, and over the next few years will grow to renaturalize the area.
Soon the empty buckets piled up. We gathered the Team Leaders who had been leading their own planting teams throughout the morning and we admired the soon-to-be majestic oaks, pines, cedars, and dogwoods that had been added to the landscape. The group was modest but we couldn't have done it without them. The dirt under their nails proved that their helping hands had done their part.
