Media Advisory/Photo Opportunity - Hot Chocolate, Acorns, Girl Guides - the
recipe for a celebration!?

First Ontario Heritage Tree to be recognized in Wychwood Park

TORONTO , Sept. 28 /CNW/ - The Girl Guides and Wychwood Park community will be up early with hot chocolate in hand to join Trees Ontario and the Ontario Urban Forest Council (OUFC) under the canopy of a giant 100+ year-old red oak to celebrate the first recognized Ontario Heritage Tree and the harvesting of its 2009 crop of acorns.

The venerable tree is located in Toronto's unique Wychwood Park on the property owned by Doug Goold and Libby Znaimer.

Trees Ontario and OUFC recently launched its Heritage Tree Program to celebrate those trees that have cultural or historical significance to the community or province. Equally important to this program is the opportunity to collect Heritage Tree seeds for future propagation to grow new, native, and healthy trees, also referred to as "legacy trees." Schools can participate in seed identification, forecasting, collecting and germinating through an educational resource package being put together by Trees Ontario, the Ontario Forestry Association and the Oak Ridges Moraine Foundation, which will be available online later this fall.

    
    WHAT:  Celebration of first recognized Ontario Heritage Tree

    WHEN:  Wednesday, September 30, 2009, 9:00 a.m.

    WHERE: 42 Wychwood Park, Toronto, ON

    WHO:   Ontario Girl Guides
           Michael G. Scott, President and CEO, Trees Ontario
           Adrina Ambrosii, Director, Ontario Urban Forest Council (OUFC)
           Doug Goold and Libby Znaimer, Property Owners
    

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. Trees Ontario is also partnering with the Ministry of Natural Resources to help deliver the Ontario government's commitment to plant 50 million trees by 2020.

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.

This year, with its partners, Trees Ontario will plant close to 3 million trees. Visit the Trees Ontario website at www.treesontario.ca.

For further information: For media inquiries, please contact: Paul Tyler, GoldFenix Communications, [phone], [email protected]; Victoria Ollers, GoldFenix Communications, [phone], [email protected]