OTTAWA, Sept. 8, 2023 – If you’ve ever considered planting trees on your rural Ottawa property, there’s no better time than now.

Thanks to generous subsidies from Forests Ontario and the City of Ottawa, Ottawa landowners only pay $0.15 per tree, or about $150 per acre, to reforest their properties – compared to about $3,000 to plant the same trees through a private company. 

“It’s an incredibly good deal, and we do all the work for you,” said Ian Cochrane, forestry manager for the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority (RVCA), which implements the program in the Rideau And Mississippi Valley watersheds. “We consider your objectives for the property, the site conditions and the types of trees that will thrive there and we make a custom plan.”

Green Acres targets rural properties within city limits with at least 1.25 acres available for tree planting. That could be an unused field, marginal or unproductive farmland or even windbreaks around crops and pasturelands. 

The full-service program is delivered by your local conservation authority and includes a free site visit, custom planting plan, site prep and, of course, the tree planting itself. Staff will also conduct survival assessments for up to five years and refill any sites with low survival.

Tree planting is a practical and cost-effective way to control erosion, increase crop yields, conserve soil and water, reduce heating and cooling costs on your property, support wildlife habitat and reduce your carbon footprint – among many other benefits. 

“I started planting trees in 2016 and the RVCA has provided me with numerous trees,” said Kinburn resident Richard Montague. He said the trees have improved water quality for him and his neighbours, while providing more privacy and adding more beauty to the landscape. 

“The RVCA has been just great,” Montague said. “If you’ve got the land, you should do it.”

Forestry manager Ian Cochrane is currently booking site visits for Ottawa properties in both the Rideau Valley and Mississippi Valley watersheds to plan for Spring 2024. South Nation Conservation Authority provides tree planting services for City of Ottawa properties within its watershed. 

Landowners in the Rideau Valley who live outside the City of Ottawa are also eligible for tree planting grants, with costs depending on the number of trees planted. 

Learn more and book a site visit today: https://www.rvca.ca/stewardship-grants/tree-planting

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