Nearly 50 local residents got together for the 13th annual TD Tree Days event, held this year at the New Forest in the City, more specifically, the Adam’s Boulevard stormwater pond, on Sunday, September 29, 2024.
Supported by the Brant Tree Coalition, the City of Brantford and TD Friends of the Environment Foundation, the event attracted a host of local TD Bank employees, their friends and families, and other various community members who all volunteered their time to help reach this year’s goal.
“We have about 48 people who have come out to volunteer today and we’re just so excited to be planting 400 native tree and shrub species that have all been delivered by the Grand River Conservation Authority,” said Brittani Verhaeghe, event co-host and manager of customer experience at TD Bank. “Giving back to the community is huge for us at TD and we love doing this event because it makes a big impact on the environment. We may not have hundreds of volunteers but I’m excited to see my staff come out and it just goes to show that if we all put in the effort, we can make a real difference.”
Upon arrival, volunteers learned step-by-step instructions on how to properly plant a tree for optimal success and in an effort to better understand the day’s project, many took the opportunity to speak with Brant Tree Coalition member, Chuck Beach, about the history of the stormwater pond and the surrounding area.
“The New Forest in the City was started in 2012 and originally, the Brant Tree Coalition intended to plant 10,000 trees per year for five years. Since then we, alongside the community, have planted 74,000 trees and what started out as land that was not suitable to build on, has since become 80 acres of natural area,” he said. “It’s been pretty cool to see it grow over the years and it’s really become home to all sorts of species. There’s three creeks back here all with small fish, we’ve got a beaver now, coyotes, lots of skunks and rabbits, and all sorts of different types of birds that have all settled in here. The Pauline Johnson e3 class actually installed 37 bird boxes back there and so we’ll also be inspecting some of them a little later today just to see how they made out as well.”
Because the stormwater pond has washed out a number of times over the years, Beach said that the addition of the new trees and shrubs will also help to eventually control erosion, ultimately strengthening the borders of the pond and decreasing flood opportunities.
Further speaking to the benefits of tree planting events and the overall difference they make, Megan McNeely, Urban Forestry Support for the City of Brantford, said there are plenty of reasons for the community to get involved and encouraged residents to volunteer when they can.
“With all the development going on around town, it’s really important that we’re planting as many trees as possible, especially in our urban areas, so that we can increase our canopy coverage and have access to these natural spaces,” she said. “It not only helps to up our wildlife numbers, but it also provides shade for residents, it helps to reduce pollution and purify the air, it helps to reduce those heat island effects and it also increases happiness and motivation in the city. When you have tree planting events like this, it really gets the community working together and it increases education for those that don’t understand what exactly we’re trying to accomplish in the city.”
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.
