The city of Toronto wants more trees. The city has a goal of dou­bling its tree canopy, from 17 to 34 per­cent, by the year 2050.

If you’re in Toronto on Saturday, April 25, you can help. Join Trees Across Toronto, which will host a plant­ing day from 10 am to noon at sev­eral loca­tions around the city, including:

Sun Valley
Centennial Park
Earl Bales Park
Humber Bay Park
McCowan District Park

They’ll pro­vide gloves and shov­els. You pro­vide the mus­cle power.

If you’d rather see trees planted on your own street, the city can help there, too. Toronto’s Urban Forestry Services will plant trees on city land that fronts res­i­den­tial prop­er­ties — for free.

What about trees in your own back­yard? Contact Leaf Toronto, a non-​​profit orga­ni­za­tion that offers a sub­si­dized Backyard Tree Planting Program. Their dis­counted prices include a back­yard con­sul­ta­tion with a cer­ti­fied arborist who will help choose the best tree or shrub and offer advice about where to plant it, the tree itself, and plant­ing ser­vice.

Photo ©Carolyn B. Heller