By Mike Robinson
GUELPH – Wellington County’s Green Legacy Committee may be ending, but the program’s living legacy will carry on.
Puslinch councillors were recently informed of the move in a report from Wellington County, which administers the Green Legacy Program.
Effective March 1, the committee was terminated and its members were thanked for their contributions to the success of the award-winning program.
The county established the county-wide Green Legacy Program in 2004, based on the simple idea of planting 150,000 trees to celebrate the county’s 150th anniversary.
Following the success of that initiative, county staff members were directed to establish a working committee to assist with the implementation of tree planting.
The committee was comprised of elected officials, community volunteers with knowledge in environmental management, senior county staff, and Green Legacy management staff. The sitting warden was also invited to attend committee meetings.
The committee mandate was to provide expertise and advice in the early development of the program.
By the end of 2018, just 14 years after its creation, the program planted approximately 2.3 million trees with the aid of organizations, volunteers and school children.
It has become the largest municipal tree planting program in North America.
Today, the program includes a complement of four full-time staff, supplemented with seasonal and student workers at various times throughout the year.
Therefore, the committee is no longer necessary, county officials say.
Major program changes and annual reporting will continue to flow through the county planning committee and the Green Legacy manager will report directly to senior planning staff.
