A micro forest on town property in Grimsby may be taking root a year or so from now.
“It’ll take a year to probably start planting,” said Ward 2 Coun. Lianne Vardy whose motions calling for a micro forest on town and Niagara Region property were approved by Grimsby town council earlier this month.
Vardy was hoping to see the first micro forest planted at the town hall site on Livingston Avenue, but the councillor said pending major renovation work to Peach King Centre, which is also on the town hall site, has nixed that location for now.
The councillor noted the renovation requires space for setting up the equipment and materials required for the arena work.
Instead, Vardy said Grimsby senior staff are looking at other town-owned sites for the micro forest, which will be about the size of a tennis court.
“The town has lots of parks and a lot of attractive areas where we could put in a micro forest,” said Vardy, who is hoping the site will be announced on Earth Day, April 22.
Once the site is determined, Vardy said it will take several months to get the space organized and ready for planting by Earth Day 2025.
“It’ll take a year to do all the work,” Vardy said. “To make sure we know what we’re going to plant and where we’re going to plant it and how we’re going to plant it.”
One of Vardy’s approved motions has been forwarded to Niagara Region for consideration.
It calls for a micro forest at the Region’s new water reservoir on Park Road.
“Frankly, I’d be happy for them (the region) to put one anywhere,” said Vardy, who noted the town will also be seeking community input and community partners to support the project.
One of the partners already on board is Vineland Research and Innovation Centre.
“They (the town) have reached out to us to see if we can help them identify how best to implement these mini (micro) forests,” said Rhoda de Jonge, director of plant responses and the environment at the centre.
De Jonge said the centre has been collaborating with Network of Nature, which includes groups such as Green Communities Canada and Canadian Geographic, to support micro forests across the country by providing advice on the kinds of soil to use.
“Our soil help lab is one of the few that really has a firm understanding of urban soils in Canada,” de Jonge said. “(We’re) seeing how well those tree-planting activities can improve soil health.”
De Jonge said the centre is still in the process of determining how best to help the Town of Grimsby with its micro forest project.
“The first thing we can do is to share all of the knowledge that we’ve already built with the Network of Nature on how best to set up mini (micro) forests and what to look for in terms of understanding how they improve soil health,” she said. “Any type of soil can be a good site for mini forests.”
De Jonge suggested areas where there’s a scarcity of trees are good places to plant.
“Areas where there may be lower amounts of overall (tree) cover and areas where you really want to improve and increase the number of trees on site,” de Jonge said.
She said the chosen site should be prepared in the fall, including adding a lot of mulch.
“Preparing the soil in the fall before the spring planting is certainly something we recommend,” de Jonge said. “Not only do you increase overall soil health, but you can increase carbon storage in the soil, you can increase storm water storage in the soil, so there’s numerous benefits, in addition to the overall beauty that we can see above-ground.”
Grimsby green advisory committee vice-chair Marilyn McCrea said she’s delighted to see the micro forest project moving ahead.
“I’m very excited to have it,” McCrea said. “The idea has caught the attention of the community at large.”
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