The Little Forests Durham project at the Fields of Uxbridge is featured in the March 2025 edition of Municipal Retirees Organization Ontario (MROO) Newsletter for Members. Excerpts below.
RETIREES and CLIMATE CHANGE
Tiny Forests : More trees please
Trees inhale carbon dioxide, of which earth’s atmosphere has too much. They exhale oxygen, fertilize our soil, and mitigate floods. They provide shade for us, habitat for birds and animals, and wood for all its uses. So, forests are at the front lines of the struggle to reduce and adapt to climate change. …
The Tiny Forest concept
A new community-scale initiative is emerging – Tiny Forests. Here’s something we retirees can do – with our friends, neighbours and local associations – in our towns, cities, and suburbs.
The tiny forest concept is simple. Assemble a group of volunteers, clear a small plot of land, prepare the soil. Plant a variety of native trees and shrubs in a small, tightly planted area. Then watch them grow at accelerated rates into dense and diverse forest communities. Tiny forests are often about the size of a tennis court. …
Partners get it done: the Uxbridge example
The 2024 initiative in Uxbridge, led by Little Forests Durham, included partnerships among the Durham Master Gardeners, the Rotary Club of Uxbridge, the Township of Uxbridge, and the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority. 180 people participated in the planning, site preparation, and planting of a 200 m2 (~2000 sq ft) area with 600 trees and shrubs, including sugar maple, ironwood, and Canadian serviceberry. Green Communities Canada and the Greenbelt Foundation provided funding.