The County of Brant’s Forestry Department hosted a community tree-planting event at the Mount Pleasant Nature Park on Saturday, October 18, 2025.
Held in partnership with the Brant Tree Coalition, the Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA) and the Mount Pleasant Optimist Club, the event attracted about 40 volunteers who were there to help plant 450 native trees and shrubs throughout the grounds of the 25-acre park.
“Today we’re planting a variety of species here, so we have red maple, sycamore, ninebark, alternate-leaf dogwood, redbud, swamp white oak, cedar, eastern hemlock, buttonbush, black willow and many more,” said Tom Tiisler, a Forestry Specialist with the GRCA. “And the reason we plant native bushes and trees is because, for this place in particular, they’re really good for erosion control; we have a lot of areas along the banks around here that are starting to fall into the pond, so the roots will really help to stabilize that. On top of all of that, they also help build up the habitat and provide food for the wildlife, and it’s a good way to get on top of things before invasive species can come in and take over.”
Trent Meyers, Forestry Supervisor for the County of Brant, added that the removal of invasive species at the Mount Pleasant Nature Park has been a large focus for the municipality.
“We’ve been doing a lot of work over the past couple of years to enhance this site, and over the next few years, we’ll continue removing invasive species, planting more native trees and shrubs, and building habitat structures,” he said. “This is just a gem of a property. It’s cool to have a nature park so close to the city and so we’re kind of promoting a natural system within more of an urban park that’s accessible for people.”
Upon arrival, student volunteers from Assumption College School provided the residents with some background information on the site, and step-by-step instructions on how to plant a tree to ensure an optimal transplant for the greenery to survive.
Despite some areas of the ground being tougher to break through, a majority of county residents, like Kristi Mahy and her son Kai Mahy-Henderson, were keeping their spirits high as they worked their way through the inventory of trees.
“These are actually still our first trees,” said Mahy-Henderson with a laugh. “I’m at the point where, if we can just get these planted… I’ll be happy.”
The Paris residents said they’ve participated in around ten community tree planting events throughout the years.
“I think it just makes you feel good,” said Mahy. “You’re doing something good for the environment, for the park and for people to appreciate. The other thing that’s nice about coming out to these events too, is that you end up going to some natural spaces in the county that you’ve never been to before which is really nice.”
For those who missed the community tree planting, the City of Brantford will be hosting one at Donegal Park on Saturday, November 1, from 9 a.m. to noon.
“And the County’s next tree planting will be in April 2026 at Rising Park in Glen Morris,” said Meyers. “That will take place around Earth Day, so people should keep an eye out for more details about that as we get closer to the date.”
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.
