A greener world for the next generation
New Hamburg man encourages seniors to donate their federal pandemic funding for a tree-planting project in Wilmot Township
WILMOT TOWNSHIP — When Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced $300 each to help Canadian seniors through the COVID-19 pandemic, Dean Peachey had an idea.
Peachey lives in the Morningside retirement community in New Hamburg. He encouraged his fellow residents in their June newsletter to donate all or part of their federal pandemic money to charity, specifically to the Let’s Turn Wilmot Green with Trees initiative. He also suggested the Wilmot Family Resource Centre. “The Prime Minister announced this help for seniors, and for some that’s true, they need it, but for myself and some of my peers, we’re actually saving money right now. We’re driving less, we’re not going out to eat. I’ve just had the lowest Visa bill I’ve seen in ages,” says Peachey.
“It’s about a long-term legacy,” he says. “What kind of world do you want to leave for the next generation?” Let’s Turn Wilmot Green with Trees is a partnership between the Nith Valley Ecoboosters, the Wilmot Horticultural Society and the Wilmot Rotary club. Its mission is to increase the tree canopy cover in the rural and urban areas of Wilmot, and it’s gaining traction.
Marlene Knezevich of the Nith Valley Eco Boosters was pleasantly surprised to see 36 people show up ready to volunteer at their first meeting in March. She had hoped for 20.
“There’s a really good buzz about planting trees,” she said. She says the township is also quite supportive.
Knezevich said the group’s rough long-term goal is to plant a tree for every resident of Wilmot. According to the township’s website there are 21,800 residents.
The short-term goal is to get their first tree planting under the group’s belt this year.
Robert Corry, a professor of landscape architecture from the University of Guelph, says in both rural and urban settings, trees are immensely beneficial.
“Pavement and concrete absorb heat all day and release it at night,” he said. “A park with trees can have a cooling effect for 100 metres around it.”
Corry says trees provide cleaner air, capture more rain, increase shade and cooling and decrease erosion. They also provide corridors for animals and insects moving through the landscape.
They also help people socially and psychologically. “People feel better around trees. Kids learn better, and people have a greater sense of place attachment. Places with trees are more memorable.”
A 2016 study from the University of Guelph demonstrated that Toronto neighbourhoods with less than five per cent tree cover had five times as many heat-stress related 911 calls during heat waves. It also showed that a five per cent increase in tree cover can reduce those calls by up to 80 per cent.
Still, trees don’t always grow well in urban settings.
“We don’t make it easy for trees,” said Corry. “There’s often a lot of root trampling in cities. We don’t give them the space they need.” As well as needing more space, the soils in urban settings are often drained and can lead to water stress.
People are often worried about trees growing into their pipes, but if the soil has enough moisture, they won’t. They don’t prefer to invade pipes. In fact, many studies have shown that property values increase with proximity to trees.
Let’s Turn Wilmot Green with Trees is relying on community grants and donations, so the group is grateful for Peachey’s newsletter suggestion, especially as COVID 19 has thrown them into uncertainty about protocols to do with gathering and working together. But Knezevich says the group is determined. “Even if we just plant two or three trees this year to make sure it’s off the ground.
“Our community is resilient, so we’ll figure something out.”