Media Release

Tree Tour celebrates the launch of Adopt-a-Park-Tree Program in Cedarvale Park

 

(June 30, 2014, Toronto, ON – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE) This past weekend, residents from around Cedarvale Park gathered to celebrate the launch of Cedarvale’s Adopt-A-Park-Tree Program. The program is run by the volunteer group, Friends of Cedarvale, which connects local residents with their own park tree to care for during the year. Volunteer adopters perform basic tree-tending techniques such as mulching, weeding and weekly watering with the goal of helping trees thrive in the first three to five years after planting – the toughest years for tree survival!

 

On Sunday, participants started their day by mulching and watering the young park trees. After the group’s stewardship efforts, everyone gathered to take a tour of the park, adding inspiration to the day’s hard work. LEAF’s Executive Director, Janet McKay, led the tour, highlighting simple ways that volunteers can help improve the health of young trees in the park. As the group meandered along the park paths, Janet emphasized the importance of the urban forest and how stewardship projects like Adopt-a-Park-Tree can significantly improve our tree canopy. Participants saw first-hand the devastating effects of some of Toronto’s major urban forest challenges such as the Emerald Ash Borer and the invasion of non-native plants.

 

Members of Friends of Cedarvale, spoke about the diversity of stewardship and park-improvement projects their group has undertaken in the past years, demonstrating how local residents can really make a difference in their neighbourhoods.

 

Through Adopt-a-Park-Tree program, local communities work together with the City, Park People and LEAF to enhance the urban tree canopy and Toronto’s parks. The Adopt-A-Park-Tree Manual, released earlier this year, is a great resource for any community group that is looking to establish their own park tree adoption project.  

 

For more information on LEAF or this event, visit www.yourleaf.org.

 

Photo opportunities and interviews available upon request.

 

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