Belleville is planting trees and shrubs to protect vulnerable shorelines.
Tuesday, Quinte Conservation along with support from the City of Belleville, Tree Canada and the Rotary Club of Belleville began planting over 3,000 trees along a watercourse at Clarence Bird Park at 34 Hampton Ridge Drive in Belleville.
03/05/2022 – Students from Belleville Christian School play in group games to show importance of nature conservancy. (Photo by: Andrew Clarke / Quinte News)
Students in grades three, four and five from Belleville Christian School were at the park helping plant trees.
Maya Navrot, Outreach and Stewardship coordinator for Quinte Conservation says getting students involved early is very important.
“Knowing the importance of, we know we need houses and roads and water parks and malls and all that, but we can have both. We can bring nature into our urban developed landscape so this was a perfect example to bring students out to as well.”
03/05/2022 – Tree Canada is a national charity, which plants in both urban and rural landscapes. (Photo by: Andrew Clarke / Quinte News)
Tree Canada supported the project by donating over 1,500 tree stocks, including hemp-fibre mats and tree guards to increase the survival rate of the trees.
Celia Johnstone, Community Advisor for Tree Canada says the project will benefit those living nearby.
“Trees are so important in so many aspects of urban life, they help shade theses houses in the summer, so they reduce cooling costs…. In the Winter they provide a barrier against the wind, so they help to keep heating costs down. So they provide shade, obviously they clean the air we breathe so if you have an area like this with no trees then the area’s probably not going to be in that good of quality.”
The Rotary Club of Belleville donated another 1,500 trees to the project this Sunday through the TD Friends of Environment Fund.
03/05/2022 – Quinte Conservation members planting along the watercourse at Clarence Bird Park. (Photo by: Andrew Clarke / Quinte News)
The native tree and shrub species selected for this location include White Spruce, White Cedar, White Pine, White Oak, Red Oak, Silver Maple, Sugar Maple, Black Cherry, White Birch, Nannyberry, Highbush Cranberry, Ninebark, Dogwoods, American Elderberry, and Serviceberry.
