TD Green Streets Helping to Grow Canada's Urban Forests

$300,000 in new grants available to communities across the country

OTTAWA, Oct. 13, 2015 /CNW/ - With the launch of TD Green Streets 2016, Tree Canada and TD Friends of the Environment Foundation (TD FEF) invite municipalities and Aboriginal communities nationwide, as well as Business Improvement Associations in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver, to submit proposals for innovative projects aimed at growing and caring for their urban forests. Twelve qualifying projects will be selected to each receive a grant of $25,000.

Since its inception in 1994, Green Streets – the only national grant program focused on innovation in urban forestry – has awarded funding to almost 500 Canadian municipalities across the country.

"We're proud of everything TD Green Streets has accomplished over the years, and eager to launch another year of funding to help communities grow into better places to live," says Michael Rosen, President of Tree Canada. "TD Green Streets encourages and supports the adoption of leading-edge practices in urban forestry, and we look forward to working with like-minded municipalities that understand that a healthy urban forest contributes to a healthy community."

The deadline to submit an application for a 2016 TD Green Streets grant is November 30, 2015. Recipients will be announced in February 2016. Grant recipients will be selected by a panel of representatives from TD Friends of the Environment Foundation, Tree Canada, and regional urban forest practitioners.

"We are thrilled to support innovative projects that impact, and contribute to, the greening of cities and towns across Canada," says Mary Desjardins, Executive Director, TD FEF, which has been the title sponsor of TD Green Streets since 2010. "More than 130 Canadian communities have benefited from TD Green Streets grants in the past five years, and we're hoping to inspire even more to explore and develop creative methods to manage their tree canopies."

Previous grant recipients include:

Beaconsfield, QC
The Fresh Meadows project highlighted the role and importance of the forest canopy in urban areas of Beaconsfield in order to encourage residents to plant trees on their properties. The greening along the parking lot and paths in the west end of the city involved the planting of 75 native trees, providing shade along the walking paths and habitat for local bird species.  As part of the project's educational mandate, tags were placed on the trees with growth details, and fliers were distributed to the community offering planting tips.

Mississauga, ON
Mississauga's Central Parkway Rain Garden used a creative way of capturing and using water runoff in "Silva cells," filtering it through soil to clean it in underground units, and then providing water for the trees above. Commonly, stormwater runoff from roads goes into catch basins and out to the lake untreated. Reducing the amount of water entering the storm sewer system relieves pressure on the system during extreme rainfall events and therefore helps the city adapt to the effects of climate change. 

Stratford, PE
The Town of Stratford undertook a restoration project throughout the newly developed Fullerton's Creek wellfield along the Trans Canada Trail. This is the first wellfield situated within an undeveloped area in the town, making it possible to integrate both groundwater withdrawal and environmental/recreational activities for community members and visitors. The project engaged over 300 local students learning about the Acadian Forest and engaged community members in planting 164 native Acadian forest trees and shrubs, with an additional 130 trees planted by town staff.

Edmonton, AB
The City of Edmonton's Root for Trees program initiated a "Planting for Pollinators" project. Involving and educating nearly 100 youth and volunteers, more than 1,000 trees/shrubs and 3,000 flowering plants were planted to create and enhance pollinator habitat in the John Janzen Nature Centre. The project increased awareness of the value of naturalization and creation of pollinator habitat in urban areas with the overall aim of providing increased ecosystem services in the form of pollination of food crops, healthy honey beehives, and increased food sources for insect predators.

About Tree Canada
Tree Canada is a not-for-profit charitable organization established to encourage Canadians to plant and care for trees in urban and rural environments.  Tree Canada engages Canadian companies, government agencies and individuals to support the planting of trees, the greening of schoolyards, and other efforts to sensitize Canadians to the benefits of planting and maintaining trees. Since 1992, nearly 80 million trees have been planted, over 550 schoolyards have been greened, and Tree Canada has helped organize eleven national urban forest conferences. The next Canadian Urban Forest Conference will take place in Laval, QC in 2016. More information about Tree Canada is available at www.treecanada.ca.

About TD Friends of the Environment Foundation:
From schoolyard naturalization and energy conservation, to tree plantings and environmental education, TD Friends of the Environment Foundation (TD FEF) is proud to provide funding to help sustain an incredible array of grassroots environmental programs across the country.  In 2014, TD FEF supported over 1,000 projects with $4.9 million in funding. Thousands of donors give to TD FEF on a monthly basis, and TD Bank Group contributes in excess of $1 million annually. TD also covers the management costs of running TD FEF, which guarantees 100 per cent of every dollar donated funds environmental projects in the community in which the donation was made. For more information on how to donate and get involved in your community, visit tdfef.com.

SOURCE Tree Canada

Richard Walker, Director of Communications & Program Development, Tree Canada, Tel: [phone] ext. 224, [email protected]