Norfolk Mayor Charlie Luke. Councillor Peter Black, MPP Toby Barrett and MP Diane Finley joined in the planting of nearly 3,000 trees organized by the Long Point Biosphere Reserve in partnership with Norfolk County and the Long Point Region Conservation Authority.
Apr. 28, 2018 Simcoe, ON: Thousands of tree seedlings were planted on four acres of vacant Norfolk County land west of Simcoe today as part of a national effort by 14 Biosphere Reserves across Canada to symbolically offset the greenhouse gas emissions resulting for transportation to the upcoming international G7 economic conference in Quebec in June. The project’s goal is to plant 100,000 trees that will sequester nearly 600 tonnes of greenhouse gases (CO2 eq.) as the trees grow.
The local planting effort was initiated and organized by the Long Point Biosphere Reserve and the trees were planted by the Lynn Valley Scouts under direction of forestry staff from Norfolk County and the Long Point Region Conservation Authority (LPRCA). Several Carolinian tree species were planted including Black Oak, White Pine, White Oak, Red Oak, Black Cherry, Bur Oak, Hackberry, Trembling Aspen, Kentucky-coffee, Pignut Hickory, Flowering Dogwood, Northern Pin Oak, and Large-toothed Aspen.
Dignitaries participating in a dedication ceremony included Norfolk Mayor Charlie Luke, Toby Barrett, MPP Haldimand-Norfolk and Diane Finley, MP, Haldimand-Norfolk. The participants were provided with refreshments and a pizza lunch for their hard work.
“This project continues a long tradition of reforestation here in Norfolk County beginning with the establishment of Canada’s first forestry station in St. Williams in 1908 to more recent efforts by our Foundation that collaborated in the planting of over 1,000,000 trees by the Long Point Region Conservation Authority with financial support from Ontario Power Generation. ,” said Rick Levick, president of the Long Point Biosphere Reserve.
The national tree planting project is a collaboration between the Government of Canada, the Canadian Biosphere Reserves Association and the Charlevoix Biosphere Reserve where the G7 meeting was held. A commemorative plaque will be erected at the site to mark this event.