Forests Canada

05/29/2026

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.

05/28/2026

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

05/27/2026

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

05/26/2026

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!

In part two of our webinar series, held on Wednesday, February 11, ...

05/25/2026

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

05/25/2026

From Kenora to Ottawa and Thunder Bay to Niagara, that is a wrap on 2026 regional events! From March to May, events took place in 13 communities across Ontario, engaging more than 450 high school students in hands-on, environmental learning. Congratulations to the students who challenged themselves throughout the year to grow their environmental awareness. And thank you to the many educators, volunteers and partners who make regional events and place-based learning possible!

The provincial competition is well underway at the University of Waterloo! We are looking forward to gathering with the top-performing teams to celebrate their success and determine the 2026 Ontario Envirothon Champions!

We invite you to join us and cheer along all the competing teams, and stay tuned to find out who will take the title!

05/22/2026

Happy International Day for Biological Diversity!

The theme for this year’s day is “acting locally for global impact” and we can’t think of anything more local than paying tribute to all the different people and communities across that country that made it possible for Forests Canada to plant more than 50 million trees. Collectively, their contributions have supported landscape connectivity across more than one million hectares, helping to create healthier, more resilient, biologically diverse ecosystems that we all rely on.

05/21/2026

Tree planting is always more fun with friends, especially furry ones! 🌲🐶

Our planting partner, Regen Natural Resources Ltd., started their planting season by hand-planting 8,000 trees on a property in the Algoma District. This afforestation planting project also included a thick windbreak, which is typically made up of dense, fast-growing evergreen trees that protect the property and can reduce wind velocity by up to 90%. This specific project used a mix of Tamarack, White Spruce, Eastern White Pine, and Eastern White Cedar.

Learn more about our tree planting program today! www.ForestsCanada.ca/PlantTrees

05/20/2026

Communities across Canada have been experiencing record-breaking wildfires in recent years. After severe forest fires, some forests are not able to recover on their own. To better understand the decisions and approaches for post-wildfire tree planting in Canada, we surveyed and interviewed forest managers and tree planting practitioners about what they're seeing on the ground.

The outcomes of this study culminate in the following seven key knowledge gaps:
1) The prioritization of reforestation efforts
2) Shifts in species selection
3) Strategic review of tree planting standards
4) Site preparation and salvage logging
5) Understanding the true cost of artificial regeneration
6) Occupational health and safety
7) Indigenous stewardship pathways

Learn more by reading our report:

The aim of our report is to identify how the decision-making processes for post-fire recovery are changing in the wake of the increasing severity of wildfires and highlights the collected inputs of 80 survey respondents and another eight experts interviewed for their insights

05/19/2026

Our planting partner, the Raisin Region Conservation Authority, planted 2,600 native trees at the St. Lawrence Parks Commission in Ingleside. The objective of this project is to naturalize areas of the property with native tree species and pollinator meadows to help grow biodiversity, expand forest cover, and create healthier wildlife habitats for years to come. This project builds on restoration efforts that began in 2025!

Species planted include Red Pine, Eastern White Pine, Red Maple, Bur Oak, American Sycamore, White Birch, Tamarack, Balsam Fir, Eastern Hemlock, White Spruce, and White Oak.

From seedlings to towering canopies, every tree planted helps leaf a lasting impact for generations to come.🍃

05/16/2026

Take some time this long weekend to enjoy your local forest. Whether it’s a bike ride, a walk, or just enjoying the fresh air with your loved ones, make time to explore this weekend!