Officials here are looking at a successful Mapleton program as a model for a new tree planting initiative.
Trees for Farms Minto is looking at potential funding opportunities and a format for the new initiative in the municipality.
Phil Beard of the Maitland Valley Conservation Authority and Wellington County senior planner Mark Van Patter attended a recent Trees for Farms meeting, Minto council was advised at its Jan 14 meeting.
Beard and Van Patter described how Trees for Mapleton works – with an outside committee to work on finding participating landowners, helping design their project and finding funding.
The purpose of the program is to increase forest cover in the watershed, improve agricultural crop yields, reduce the carbon footprint and soil erosion and retain floodwaters through natural practices, Van Patter and Beard explained. Applications such as “living snow fences” help with road safety.
They also described potential funding opportunities and suggested Minto provide seed funding of about $2,000 for 2014.
Landowners can access funding through the county for living snow fences along roads. Conservation authorities can access additional county funds for other tree planting projects such as farm wind breaks, reforestation of marginal farm lands, and buffering of watercourses through the Rural Water Quality Program.
They also noted the Green Legacy program provides free trees as long as they are planted in Wellington County.
Pilot project
The committee discussed the program and setting up a pilot project around the International Plowing Match to be held in Minto in 2016. Additional members from the farm community could be asked to participate.
The committee is also looking for a few commercial farmers to be members and will be contacting them prior to the next Trees for Farms meeting in February.
