Planting Thousands of Trees on the Trail in Cochrane, Alberta
This spring, the Town of Cochrane set out with an ambitious plan: to plant upwards of 2,000 trees at Mitford Park, along the Town of Cochrane section of the Trans Canada Trail. They were working in collaboration with the Cochrane Environmental Action Committee, whose annual Branches and Banks tree-planting event has been going strong since 1996!
A collective community tree-planting effort
This year’s tree-planting event was held over two days and brought participants from all walks of life. Day one brought over 90 students from grades 6 to 10, along with staff members of Garmin and from the Town of Cochrane. Day two included a family volunteer event – with 60-plus volunteers showing up!
The Town of Cochrane brought in high-quality soil to ensure the seedlings would have a greater chance of survival and a better planting medium. Overall, over the two days, over 2,500 native trees were planted!
Angie Basha, the Town of Cochrane’s Parks & Open Spaces Community Liaison, says, “It was great to see the enthusiasm from all the students and volunteers. It was a lot of fun and inspiring to witness everyone working together to make a positive impact.”
Photo credit: Angie Basha
Pine, willow, spruce and more at Mitford Park
The Town of Cochrane and Branches and Banks participants planted in Mitford Park, a 34-hectare park located along the north bank of the Bow River, on the Trans Canada Trail. The group opted to plant native tree species, including Lodgepole Pine, Willow, White spruce and Aspen, to respect the local ecosystem and give the trees their best chance for survival in Cochrane’s climate.
In addition, they planted dogwood and shrubby cinquefoil – both native plant species – to support biodiversity and promote local ecosystems – in turn, providing a healthier habitat for wildlife.
Photo credit: Angie Basha
A continual greening plan, with support from Planting for Tomorrow
This tree-planting event was supported by Trans Canada Trail’s Planting for Tomorrow Program, which provides funding for tree-planting, invasive species removal, seed collection and more.
“We plan to plant in the same area next year,” says Angie. “This year, we were lucky to have the funding to bring in all the topsoil, which is a great planting medium and increases survival rates.”
Photo credit: Val and Don Campbell
Get involved in Planting for Tomorrow
Through our Planting for Tomorrow program, trail groups and other organizations can access funding to bring a project like the one in Cochrane to life, and achieve the following:
• Increase tree cover in communities across Canada
• Strengthen biodiversity and ecological health
• Improve forest resilience to climate change
• Encourage community participation in environmental stewardship
The Planting for Tomorrow Program is generously supported by Domtar, Dow Canada, The Drax Foundation and Toyota Canada. Federal funding is provided through the 2 Billion Trees program. Learn more here.
Main photo credit: Val and Don Campbell
