Forests Canada

Today is the United Nations World Environment Day and the theme for this year is “A Global Call for Climate Action”. Even with climate change reshaping life across the planet, it’s important to remember that another force is also gaining momentum: collective action.

That’s why this World Environment Day, we want to share recent news that we think will give you one of the most important things you can have today: hope!

https://ow.ly/WMIH50Z839Z

Whether you're planting trees, restoring ecosystems, or working in the field, your equipment can unintentionally help invasive species spread from one site to another.

That is why Forests Canada and the Invasive Species Centre collaborated to develop the Clean Equipment Protocol for Field Practitioners, a new practical, user-friendly resource designed to prevent the spread of invasive species. It answers the question: “What do I need to do right now?”

While this resource was developed with tree planting and ecological restoration practitioners in mind, the information is valuable for everyone and can help play a role in protecting native ecosystems with simple steps to reduce the spread of invasive species.

Together we can help keep our forests, grasslands, and natural landscapes healthy by learning more about invasive species.

Check out our resource: https://forestscanada.ca/en/resource/clean-equipment-protocol-for-field-practitioners

Calling all York Region (The Regional Municipality of York) residents! 📣

Today is your last chance to purchase a tree for this year's event! We still have a few Alternate-leaved Dogwoods available for our Markham pick-up date on Saturday, June 6, 2026. Each tree only costs $10, and you can purchase up to six trees per household. Stock is limited, so purchase your tree(s) now! https://treestakeroot.ca/community/YorkRegion

Registration for the 2026 Forest History Field Tour in County of Simcoe is open!

The event will take place on June 12, 2026 and will have participants visit some of the area's earliest established forests and see how they have evolved. They will also visit various sites, including some of the first known plantings done by Boy Scouts and community groups, as well as newer initiatives that the County Foresters are involved with to keep their forest healthy and productive.

Space is limited, so register today!

The Ontario Envirothon Championships returned to the University of Waterloo from May 24 to 27 and Forests Canada is proud to announce that a team from University of Toronto Schools was crowned as the 2026 Ontario Envirothon Champions!

From the 12 teams that advanced to the Ontario Envirothon Championships, the three top-ranking teams were:

• First Place: University of Toronto Schools
• Second Place: Waterloo Collegiate Institute
• Third Place: Milliken Mills High School

Congratulations to the students who challenged themselves throughout the year to grow their environmental awareness and thanks to the many educators and volunteers for their time, dedication, and knowledge.

nvirothon was made possible through the support of Maple Leaves Forever, Enbridge Gas, the J.P. Bickell Foundation, the University of Waterloo Faculty of Environment, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada Inc., and the Central Canada Sustainable Forestry Initiative Implementation Committee.

A tree planting project doesn’t need to be massive to matter. Impact begins with intention!

Our planting partners, Community Forests Canada, proved the importance of intention with this site in Clandeboye, Manitoba. They planted 875 trees on a rural property, surrounded by agricultural land typical of southern Manitoba, that drains into Medicine Creek and a wetland. This planting project is significant because it is an important habitat feature for wildlife in the area, including owls and herons.


To learn more about our Tree Planting Program, visit our website – ForestsCanada.ca/planttrees

Severe weather has reshaped many of our forested landscapes — and together, we’re helping them recover.

In recent years, provincial parks have been impacted by extreme weather, invasive species, and shoreline erosion. To restore these natural spaces and support species conservation, we are working with Ontario Parks to plant 12,000 native trees and shrubs across nine provincial parks.

Last fall and this spring, 4,500 potted trees and shrubs representing 39 native species were planted in targeted areas throughout those nine parks. An additional 7,500 seedlings were recently planted at Samuel de Champlain Provincial Park to help it rebuild after extensive storm damage forced the park's temporary closure in June 2025.

A heartfelt thank‑you to park staff, our nursery and planting partners, and the volunteers who helped us plant these future forests.

Learn about these projects and more: https://forestscanada.ca/en/article/forests-canada-and-ontario-parks

that part two of our three-part Wildlife Webinar series is on our YouTube channel?

In part two, we learned about the different types of wildfires and what happens after a fire, including wildfire recovery and restoration.

Watch it now!

Forestry In the Classroom - Wildfire Webinar Part 2 In part two of our webinar series, held on Wednesday, February 11, ...

On Friday, we gathered with the Ontario Greenbelt, Toronto and Region Conservation Authority, Councillor Christina Early, Councillor Mario Russo, Mayor Michael Dehn and many others at Albion Hills Conservation Park to share some exciting news!

Since 2022, we’ve partnered with the Greenbelt Foundation to plant 750,000 trees across the Greenbelt to enhance near‑urban and rural forest cover, boost biodiversity, improve water quality, and help reduce flooding and extreme heat close to urban areas.

With the spring planting season well underway, we announced the next step: another 250,000 trees will be planted this year, bringing us closer to achieving the one-million-tree milestone this fall through the One Million Greenbelt Trees Program.

To mark the moment, we planted two beautiful red maples together. Thank you to everyone who joined us for this special day.

Read more – https://forestscanada.ca/en/article/forests-canada-and-greenbelt-foundation-nearing-one-million-tree-milestone

Toronto and Region Conservation Authority