As Earth Week quickly approaches, the Brant Tree Coalition (BTC), with the help of Brant Waterways Foundation and the Grand River Conservation Area (GRCA), are gearing up for another year of community tree planting events throughout the City of Brantford and the County of Brant.
The Brant Tree Coalition was established in 2005 and has since facilitated the planting of over 134,000 trees, shrubs and pollinator plants throughout the Brantford-Brant community.
The Brant Tree Coalition is made up of a collection of service groups and individuals which includes the City of Brantford, the County of Brant, the GRCA, private industry and volunteers like myself, and we work together to put on community tree planting events,” said Chuck Beach, a BTC event organizer.
Individuals, families, friends, and even coworkers that are looking to get involved and celebrate Earth Week, are invited to attend either, or both, the 11th annual Brant County Community Tree Planting event, as well as the 13th annual Brantford Community Tree Planting event.
With the support from the Glen Morris Horticultural Society and the Glen Morris Lions Club, the County is looking to plant a goal of 1,000 native tree and shrub species at Rising Park (5 Brook St., Glen Morris) on Saturday, April 18, 2026 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
On-street parking will be available along Brook and Centre Streets, though carpooling is recommended. Volunteers will provide directions to the planting area, and a warm lunch will be provided.
For the City’s event, the BTC is aiming to plant another 1,000 native tree and shrub species along the Wayne Getzky Parkway Trail, south of Powerline Road, on Saturday, April 25, 2026 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Parking will be available at Jaycee Sports Park at 395 Dunsdon St., Brantford.
Both events will run rain or shine and volunteers should dress for the weather accordingly, though long-sleeved shirts and pants are advised.
Residents are being asked to bring the following personal items to either event:
- Gloves
- Closed-toe, sturdy footwear (boots are highly recommended)
- Reusable Water Bottle
- Shovel (limited shovels will be available), and
- Rainwear (if needed)
Upon arrival, student volunteers from local high schools will be greeting residents, providing instructions on how to properly transplant vegetation and handing out a variety of trees, shrub and pollinator species to volunteering residents.
“We like to enlist students to help with these community events, and so about 20 students from Paris District High School will be helping with the Glen Morris event, and around 25 students from Pauline Johnson’s e3 class will be helping with the city event,” said Beach. “We really try to get them to run the events, so they assist with the greeting of the people, the tree planting instructions and delivering mulch to the planters. It’s nice because it helps them develop leadership, they get to give back to the community and they also get volunteer hours too.”
Work done during the community tree planting events helps to build up the existing tree canopy within both the County and the City.
“There’s a few reasons we put on these events. The first is climate change adaptation, as trees cool the earth and absorb carbon dioxide from fossil fuels. The second is biodiversity, because trees and shrubs provide shelter for native species like birds, pollinators and other wildlife,” said Beach. “Another reason is to help build the local tree canopy. The County has a goal of reaching 30 per cent tree canopy by 2030; it’s currently sitting around 24.7 per cent. The City also has a goal to reach, which is 40 per cent tree canopy by 2050, and the latest study they did in 2023 indicated that the tree canopy was about 21.5 per cent, so we still have quite a ways to go.”
As stated in the City of Brantford Tree Canopy Fact Sheet, urban tree canopies are important community assets that help mitigate the effects of climate change.
“Some of the many benefits of urban trees include: sequestering carbon and providing clean air to breathe, providing shade to protect from harmful UV rays and cool ground temperatures, helping to reduce energy consumption for low-rise buildings,” the document states. As well, “helping manage stormwater and flooding, providing natural habitats for native species of animals, birds, and insects, as well as creating an aesthetic, liveable environment that increases property values by up to 30 per cent.”
Kimberly De Jong’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative.The funding allows her to report rural and agricultural stories from Blandford-Blenheim and Brant County. Reach her at kimberly.dejong@brantbeacon.ca.
