Now open to residents in Ontario, a new 50 Million Tree Program has been established to help grow tree planting in Ontario. With a goal set of 50 million trees planted by the year 2025, the Ontario government is hoping that this new program will become a popular option with homeowners.

The 50 Million Tree Program is designed is help encourage large-scale tree planting which in turn will help improve farming operations, create wildlife habitats, increase property values, and create a legacy for future generations and help fight climate changes.

To be eligible, the landowner must possess at least one hectare (2.5 acres) of open available land for tree planting. This open, available land cannot be identified as a woodland since December 31, 1989, as per the Forestry Act.  The 50 Million Tree Program has been designed to make tree planting an easy option for landowners who wish to participate. To help absorb the costs of the tree planting program, Forests Ontario offer a 75 to 90 per cent coverage of the total planting costs for the eligible landowners. Also, in addition, the program will cover the designing and implementing site plans to ordering, transporting, and planting trees. Also, aftercare assistance will be also provided.  A 15-year management agreement will be required to maintain the trees that have been planted and for aftercare assistance after being planted. The homeowner(s) will also be required to implement proper forestry management skills to care for the planted trees and any additional costs associated with the ongoing maintenance of the trees.

With the program beginning in early Spring of 2019, this gives eligible landowners a chance to plan for future tree planting and allows proper time for a site assessment and to properly plan. Both, the planting partners and landowners together can plan how many trees can be planted and types of trees they will be planning on ordering. Ordering ahead of time will ensure that you will have the types of trees that you will like to order as the stock may be limited and hardwoods sell out early.

Visit www.forestontario.ca to learn more about this great program or contact the Forestry Program Manager at 1-877-646-1193, extension #222 or email at info@forestsontario.ca.