Trees for Mapleton

Trees for Mapleton is a local initiative designed to increase the amount of trees in Mapleton Township. This program grew out of the 2001 'Trees for Peel' program and is now administered by a committee made up of local landowners and technical advisers.

Trees for Mapleton has partnered with the following organizations:

  • Wellington Stewardship Council
  • Grand River Conservation Authority 
  • Drayton Kinsmen
  • Wellington Soil and Crop Association
  • Wellington County
  • The Green Legacy Programme
  • Mapleton Municipality
  • Forests Ontario
  • Ontario Trillium Foundation
  • Maitland Valley Conservation Authority

The focus has been on establishing windbreaks, given the high quality agricultural soils.

Windbreaks are seen as a production tool, just like seed, soil, fertilizer, drainage and machinery. There is a wide body of research establishing yield increases due to the presence of wind breaks. The Mapleton strategy includes wrapping every 100 acres with windscreens, buffering all waterways with trees, wrapping all forest fragments with windbreaks, planting shelterbelts around all farmsteads, linking forest fragments and planting living snow fences. The potential is 5 million trees in one township.

The Trees for Mapleton program aims to:

  • Increase farm income
  • Help farmers adapt to climate change
  • Increase Carbon Sequestration
  • Decrease road maintenance and salt use
  • Decrease road accidents
  • Demonstrate best practices for other municipalities
  • Increase durability of communities

Progress to date since initiation in 2006:

  • Established Partners
  • Presentations
  • On the ground field days
  • Funding Package
  • Farm Forester in place
  • Mapleton info package
  • Environmental Farm Plan workshops
  • 27 km of windbreaks planted in Spring 2009
  • 50 km of trees planted in one Fall season
  • On the ground learning
  • Plastic mulch application
  • Shelterbelt-plantings

For more information contact:

Chair
Bruce Whale
519.638.2230

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