Quinte Conservation staff planting along a shoreline

Quinte Conservation commits itself to sustainable forest management practices. We aim to support and encourage healthy forest-management practices of our existing forests as well as supporting tree-planting initiatives across our watersheds. Trees provide a wealth of environmental, health and social benefits. Trees clean our air, absorb carbon, and slow climate change they provide food and shelter for wildlife and slow erosion while contributing to cleaner water, greener communities, and healthier people.

Subsidized Tree Seedling & Planting Program

Looking to plant or have property planted with native trees? You may be eligible for a subsidized program.

Contact Quinte Conservation Outreach and Stewardship Coordinator to learn more about programs available to you. 

Why Plant Trees? 
  • Trees absorb carbon dioxide, then transform it into oxygen. Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas contributing to global warming and climate change. Consider supporting the planting of trees to offset your carbon emissions.
  • Trees transpire, releasing water through their leaves. This process of transpiration cools the air, acting much like an air conditioner. Walk into a dense forest on a hot summer day and notice the temperature change.
  • Plant trees on the south side of your building. This can shade windows in the summer and lower air-conditioning costs by 20-50%! In the winter months, when those trees lose their leaves, the sun will shine through the bare branches. This warms your house, reducing your heating costs.
  • Trees planted as windbreaks on residential properties reduce home heating costs by 10-15%.
  • Trees can shade asphalt making our urban environments cooler and more comfortable during hot summer months.
  • Trees intercept rainfall, slow runoff, and absorb water. Forests act like sponges on the landscape. They slow and absorb water and then release it in times of drought. In doing so, our groundwater will recharge.
  • Trees reduce runoff into our streams and lakes. This slows the impacts of flooding while filtering and cleaning the water.

Choose Native Species

When selecting trees for your site, consider trees native to Ontario.

Native trees are suited to our climate and weather conditions. Our wildlife also rely on them for food and shelter. Planting native trees helps to bring nature back into our developed landscapes.

Select the native species that suit your site's soil, moisture, and light conditions. If you select the right species for your conditions, the tree will require little to no care in order to establish and grow into a beautiful mature tree.

Considerations When Planting
  • Plant 10-20 feet away from buildings (distance away from buildings depend on how large/tall your tree will grow)
  • Be sure to plant away from hydro wires and set back from fire hydrants, street lights, and sidewalks
  • It is best to plant trees in the spring or fall to correspond with rains and cooler weather
  • Your trees may need some care during times of drought
  • Place mulch around the base of the tree to help retain moisture during hot summer days

 

Additional Resources

Landowner's Guide to Forest Management Basics 

Learn about the Managed Forest Tax Incentive Program

Agricultural Watercourse Buffer Planting Program

Quinte Conservation offers a full-service and heavily subsidized tree and shrub planting program within 30 metres of water systems. Riparian buffers are areas or strips of land in permanent vegetation along a watercourse and aim to:

  • reduce soil losses due to erosion and protect productive topsoil
  • mitigate the movement of sediment, nutrients, and pesticides from farm fields
  • enhance shoreline habitat for wildlife and protect biodiversity
Apply Now

For more, info email stewardship@quinteconservation.ca.

two tree planters, one carrying a hip sack of bare root shrub seedlings is planting, the other is dragging a large black sled filled with coco fibre mats.

Community Trees

In the spring of 2023 residents of nine participating municipalities had an opportunity to pick up a variety of native tree and shrub seedlings at designated giveaway locations. The events were funded and organized by each participating municipality for their residents and supported by Quinte Conservation. Please check back for information on the 2024 season. 

  • County of Prince Edward
  • City of Belleville
  • Municipality of Centre Hastings
  • Municipality of Tweed
  • Town of Greater Napanee
  • Municipality of Marmora & Lake
  • Township of Stirling-Rawdon
  • Tyendinaga Township
  • Municipality of Quinte West

Native plants play an important role in this region’s natural ecology, and the Community Trees initiative provides residents with a great opportunity to support that role by planting in urban and rural properties and help us to increase forest cover across the region for improved watershed and ecosystem health.

Learn more about the benefits of tree planting, how to plant your seedlings, and planting guidelines.

Tree Seedlings Sale (2023)

SOLD OUT FOR 2023

Through our Community Trees Program, qualifying landowners are able to purchase seedlings in a minimum quantity of 100. Contact stewardship@quinteconservation.ca for more information. 

 

A pair of bare hands plant a small pine seedlings in bare ground.