Forestry & Treeplanting

Why Plant Trees?

The Essex Region Conservation Authority can help you reforest a part of your land through our two programs. The Seedling program offers 1 to 3 year old stock that is typically 6 to 12 inches tall, where the Large Stock Program offers 6 foot tall hardwoods and 3 foot tall evergreens.

Although only approximately 5% of the region is covered in trees there was a net increase of approximately 5,500 acres in forset coverage between 1992 and 2002. However, tree coverage is still amongst the lowest in Ontario and Canada. Everybody benefits from tree planting, whether it be on their own property, along road sides, in municipal parks, or on a neighbour's property.

Trees provide natural habitat for wildlife, protect soil from eroding, cool streets in the summer and protect us from wind in the winter. Trees have been demonstrated to add up to 15 percent to the value of a home, and if planted in strategic locations, can reduce home heating and cooling requirements. Trees offer privacy screens, protect people from the sun, and absorb harmful gasses like carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and other pollutants.

Trees improve water quality by reducing the impact of billions of raindrops, resulting in less runoff and erosion. Wooded areas also help reduce the amount of sediments and chemicals that could pollute our watercourses and end up our streams and lakes.

Air quality is also improved by trapping and holding dust particles that could otherwise damage our lungs. In fact, the simple act of photosynthesis takes gases like carbon dioxide out of the air and replenishes the atmosphere with oxygen for us to breathe. One acre of trees produces enough oxygen for 18 people.

The Best Way To Plant Trees

• Mark an area at least twice the size of the root-ball and remove all existing sod or ground cover.
• Prepare the planting site by loosening the soil with a shovel or rototiller and add a small amount of organic material but do not replace the native soil with imported top soil.
• Dig a hole in the center of the prepared planting site and set the root mass on undisturbed soil at the same level the tree was growing at in the nursery. On poorly drained clay soil, it is best to plant the tree 4 inches above grade by mounding the soil.
• Fill the hole with the original soil making sure to break up any large pieces of soil before filling in the hole.
• Use water to settle the soil in around the roots.
• Mulch the entire planting site with no more than 2 inches of wood chips on clay soil and no more than 4 inches on sandy soil.
• Stake the tree if it is more than 8 feet tall, but be sure to remove the stake after the first growing season. Use a non-abrasive material.

When deciding where to plant on your property, be sure to consider the mature size of the trees and space them far enough apart to allow for this growth. The hardwoods should be spaced at least 20 feet apart if the crowns are to fully develop. The evergreens can be spaced closer to form a solid windbreak.

For an excellent pictorial guide to help assist in tree selection ordering, check out Forestry Images.

Click on the following links to download the Spring and / or Fall tree planting ordering forms:

Follow this link for grant information.