After a busy 2024 planting season, the Raisin Region Conservation Authority (RRCA) is looking ahead to next spring by booking free site consultations with local property owners wanting to add 500 trees or more to their land. The RRCA offers a full-service planting program to help improve the native tree cover in its watershed jurisdiction in eastern Ontario.
“During a site consultation, we assess the land’s characteristics, such as its topography, soil conditions, drainage, competing vegetation, and other notable features,” says Lisa Van De Ligt, RRCA’s Communications and Stewardship Team Lead. “We can then provide property owners with a recommended planting plan tailored to their particular land and goals.”
Once a plan has been developed, the RRCA provides guidance on site preparations, sources and plants the seedlings, and conducts follow-up assessments. Thanks to a partnership with Forests Ontario, ALUS Ontario East, and other partners, the RRCA can offer significant subsidies to property owners.
“Whether your goal is to plant a windbreak or buffer zone, create a safe haven for wildlife, or plant a forest, the RRCA’s full-service tree planting program is there to make it easy for property owners to add trees to their land,” Van De Ligt adds. “We are still accepting requests for free site consultations and so we encourage property owners to contact the RRCA for this chance to become land stewards and contribute to the overall health and function of our local watersheds.”
For those wanting to plant smaller projects, the RRCA offers an over-the-counter seedling sale, that provides trees to the community at low costs. To be notified in advance when the spring 2025 seedling order form becomes available this fall, residents are encouraged to follow the RRCA on social media or sign up for its monthly newsletter at rrca.on.ca. Through its various forestry programs, the RRCA has planted over 1.3 million trees since 1994.
For more information, and to book a free site consultation, visit rrca.on.ca/Trees and contact (613) 938-3611 or info@rrca.on.ca.
