GUELPH – Wellington County’s tree distribution numbers were up by about 3 per cent in 2024-25.
That was just one highlight included in an annual Green Legacy program report presented to the county’s planning committee on Oct. 9 by nursery manager Rob Johnson.
The report covers the period from Sept. 1, 2024 to Aug. 31, 2025.
The Green Legacy program, which grows trees for distribution to various stakeholders throughout the county, has two stated goals in the report:
– increase forest cover in the county; and
– foster a community that is invested in and understands the importance of trees and forests in their community.
During the past year, a total of 165,446 trees were distributed throughout the county, beating last year’s total by over 4,500 trees.
School programming
Of the trees distributed, just under 160,000 were seedlings (12 to 24 inches tall) and just over 5,500 were potted trees.
The report also notes 133,500 trees were grown/planted by students, surpassing last year’s total of around 113,000.
“From kindergarten to Grade 3, they grow trees from seeds in their classrooms,” Johnson explained.
Grades 4 to 6 visit the two nurseries, one in Puslinch and one in Wellington North, to help transplant trees and fill client orders.
The three grades also “get a 90-minute interpretive nature hike that’s curriculum connected to what they’re learning in the classroom,” Johnson said.
Grade 7 and 8 classes do the actual tree planting with officials.
Typically around 250 to 300 classrooms in the county participate in the program.
Green Legacy officials worked with both county school boards and private schools to provide programming to 33 schools.
Initiatives
The program is in the process of applying for the Federation of Canadian Municipalities grant through Growing Canada’s Community Canopies initiative that supports tree planting.
This funding would allow “us to hire a forest technician,” said Johnson.
Due to the high volume of tree orders, having a professional able to visit landowners and planting sites would help gain the “best information” so landowners can make the “best decision,” he explained.
Not everything in the report is positive, as it notes the county will likely see a drop in tree distribution in 2027 due to drastic weather damaging the northern nursery.
A greenhouse there sustained significant damage after it collapsed due heavy snow accumulation.
It was rebuilt in May but stock of white cedars buried under the snow had poor germination.
The trees were salvaged and transplanted this spring which led to a reduction in transplanting of other species.
“Nature is something you can’t predict … there’s always different things from bacteria, fungi, insects and rodents,” said Johnson.
Volunteering
The number of volunteers increased by 953 in 2024-25; over 9,500 volunteers worked almost 25,000 hours.
“I want it to be better than it was before COVID-19, but a lot of areas are struggling,” Johnson said referring to volunteer numbers. “Relatively we’re doing very well.”
Overall, he said he is “very proud of what the Green Legacy achieves.”
