Media Advisory - Ontario Urban Forest Council and Trees Ontario offer Heritage Tree Workshop

Ontarians are invited to learn about how the legacy of heritage trees can be passed onto future generations

TORONTO, May 31, 2012 /CNW/ - Ontario Urban Forest Council (OUFC) and Trees Ontario invite students, forestry professionals, community groups and all tree and history enthusiasts for a one-day workshop focused on recognizing, valuing and protecting heritage trees on June 8 in Ottawa. The workshop is followed by an optional field day on June 9 exploring Ottawa trees with historical, cultural and ecological significance.

Heritage trees serve as living links to our past while shaping the ecological foundation of our natural environment for centuries to come.  The Ontario Heritage Tree Program is dedicated to identifying and recording the location of heritage trees in the province. Heritage trees are identified and assessed based on their age, size, appearance, and most importantly their cultural and historical significance. The identification of these trees enables Trees Ontario and community-minded organizations to locate high quality sources of native tree seeds to be grown and planted, thus passing on the legacy of heritage trees to future generations.

The Ottawa Heritage Tree Workshop offers the opportunity to learn more about the program, Ontario's heritage trees as well as the assessment and certification process for the Program. Heritage Tree Assessment Certification is available at the Workshop.

What:	Ottawa Heritage Tree Workshop
When:	June 8-9, 2012 8:30am-4:30pm
Where:	Central Experimental Farm - 90 Carling Avenue, Ottawa
Note:	June 9^th offers a field trip (includes bus and lunch) to select locations in Ottawa where heritage trees are highlighted due to cultural and natural interest.

Space is limited and pre-registration is required.

For workshop information and registration, click here.

About the Ontario Heritage Tree Program
The Ontario Heritage Tree Program is a provincial program dedicated to identifying and recording the location of heritage trees based on their age, size, appearance, and most importantly their cultural and historical significance. Individuals and groups across the province are invited to nominate trees that are significant to their surrounding communities. Trees are then evaluated and, if recognized, photographed and their profile stories, including historical significance of the properties they reside on, published on the Trees Ontario website. To learn more about the program or to nominate a tree, visit www.treesontario.ca/heritage_trees

About Ontario Urban Forest Council
The Ontario Urban Forest Council (OUFC) is a not-for-profit volunteer organization dedicated to the health of the urban forests in the province. The OUFC was formerly the Ontario Shade Tree Council (OSTC). The OSTC evolved as a Council in 1964 from the Metro Toronto and Region Dutch Elm Disease Control Committee which was established in 1961 to investigate the control of Dutch Elm Disease. OUFC membership includes arborists, foresters, landscape architects, nurserymen, planners, municipalities, conservation authorities as well as many individuals from the public interested and concerned about trees. To learn more, visit www.oufc.org

About Trees Ontario
Trees Ontario, working with its partners, is the largest, not-for-profit tree planting partnership in North America. It is committed to the re-greening of Ontario through a range of tree planting activities. The goal of Trees Ontario is to restore the province's tree planting capacity, especially throughout southern Ontario on private lands, by providing funding and planning support for its tree planting partners. These include local Conservation Authorities, Ontario Stewardship Councils, municipal governments and community volunteer groups. To learn more, visit www.treesontario.ca

For media inquiries, please contact:

Shelley McKay
Tel: [phone]   email: [email protected]