A brand new sapling in Fish Creek Provincial Park (Aidan Olecko, CMRU.ca)
Tree Canada is a non-profit organization concentrating on planting and caring for trees throughout various areas in Canada. By practicing tree planting and sustainable forestry, Tree Canada aims to increase environmental health, support green spaces, and fight climate change through its reforestation and community greening efforts. It offers:
- educational programs
- technical support
- resources to help communities
- business to other organizations with tree-related projects.
National Tree Day was on Sept 28, 2024. Tree Canada celebrated by asking communities to volunteer and head out into Fish Creek Provincial Park to plant trees.
Voices from Tree Canada and other communities
Gerard Fournier is a forestry specialist with Tree Canada and has been for 17 years. Fournier is in charge of organizing events like these and instructing volunteers. Fournier is also a strong advocate in battling climate change.
Fournier says that volunteers are eager to help because, “they want to do something that is in their control, that makes a positive difference to the future.” Fournier also says that planting a tree is a completely “unselfish” act and that “as it grows, it increases in value over time.” BMO sponsored the event, and has many employees who helped with the planting.
Daniel Leung, a BMO representative participating in the event, says that “it’s really meaningful that we can collaborate together and really create some happiness in the local community by giving back environmentally and planting trees.”
How to get involved
Tree Canada’s website offers a variety of ways to contribute such as Partners in Planting and Operation ReLeaf.
Author’s Reflection
This project was a thrill to put together. I’ll never forget how positive the environment was in Fish Creek. I found the experience deeply inspiring and also found that it encouraged me to start thinking about plant life a little more in my day to day. I’ll always appreciate the insight given to me by Gerard in regards to “climate anxiety” and how the only way to battle these challenges is by doing good deeds. It was a brilliant reminder that humanity should strive for more.
I hope my community partner(s) are able to cherish this video and reflect on it as an act of good that they accomplished. I hope they find that it encapsulates the goals and vibes of these amazing people who clearly wanted to improve the world.
I learned that volunteering is a wonderful way to meet new people, gain new perspectives and, have a lot of fun! I hoped to tell this story by gathering a well rounded focus on who the people behind Tree Canada are and why they should keep up with their incredible work. I also learned that the harder people work when volunteering, the better it is for capturing a story. There was no shortage of footage on this assignment.
I think, if I were to do it over again, I would focus more on capturing detailed sequences of how a tree is planted. My sequence skills could use some work.
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