Forests Ontario, based in Barrie, Ont., has signed an agreement to help plant 31 million trees across Canada by the end of March 2031.
It was announced Tuesday by Jess Kaknevicius, Chief Executive Officer of Forests Ontario, and Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources. To support the trees being planted, the organizations agreed to a joint commitment of over $123 million to help with the project.
The project will see Forests Ontario work with Natural Resources Canada on its 2 Billion Trees program.
The federal government will cover half of the cost while Forests will solicit donations from corporate partners and donors to cover the rest of the money.
“This is a generational opportunity for organizations and individuals across the country to show their environmental leadership,” says Kaknevicius. “We have the support of the Government of Canada and now we need corporate partners and donors to stand with our planting partners, conservation authorities, Indigenous community partners, municipalities, and community groups and play a vital role in the fight against biodiversity loss and climate change.”
The latest development is an extension of what was agreed to by the feds and Forests in Nov. 2022.
“Forests Ontario’s efforts to plant more than 31 million trees across the country will benefit communities and create good jobs,” says Wilkinson. “Collaborative partnerships like the one between Canada and Forests Ontario are producing important results for Canadians and ensuring that the right tree is planted in the right place for the right reasons.”
Matthew Browns, Communications Manager for Forests, says the organization is responsible for planting more than 43 million trees over the past two decades, which have helped to create close to 21,000 hectares of new forests.
