Tree seedlings available to plant
It turns out that tree-planting isn't just for tree-huggers or hardy students looking to make a few bucks in the buggy months of summer. Thunder Bay-area enthusiasts who are passionate about air quality and erosion control have until next week to sign up for the Lakehead Region Conservation Authority's annual seedlings-planting program. The initiative has resulted in more than 159,000 seedlings being put into the ground across the LRCA watershed since it was started in 2009. "Reforestation improves our environment by providing wildlife habitat, preventing erosion, conserving energy and improving air quality," said a LRCA bulletin. "In addition, when you plant trees, you improve aesthetics and the value of your property." To participate, planters purchase bundles of 25 seedlings of either white spruce, black spruce or jack pine for $12. The tiny trees come from Kevin Vanduyn's Murillo-based greenhouse operation, which produces up to 6.3 million seedlings per year. Vanduyn said the arrangement with the LRCA has worked out well because the agency handles all the orders. "I supply the trees and they handle the logistics," Vanduyn said Thursday. He also said the connection between trees and clean air isn't a fairy tale. "I am literally creating little generators of oxygen," he said. Meanwhile, Natural Resources Canada says it remains committed to its lofty goal of having two billion trees planted across the country over the next seven years. To that end, the Liberal government announced last fall it would pay for half of the $123-million costs of planting 31 million trees in a partnership with the Forests Ontario agency. "Our goal is to increase healthy and resilient forest cover that will thrive on the landscape, benefiting urban and rural communities, ecosystems and economies across the country," Forests Ontario chief executive officer Jess Kaknevicius said at the time in an earlier news release. Orders for the LRCA seedling program must be made by Wednesday. More information is available on the conservation authority's website at lakeheadca.com.
Carl Clutchey, Local Journalism Initiative reporter, The Chronicle-Journal
