Township of South Glengarry Plants 150 Trees at Glen Walter Park with RRCA and SLC

October 21, 2022

RRCA Board Members and staff, South Glengarry Council Members and staff, and SLC students and staff recently gathered at Glen Walter Regional Park to plant 150 native trees.

South Glengarry’s Glen Walter Regional Park was recently embellished with over 150 trees at a community planting event held by the Township of South Glengarry in partnership with the Raisin Region Conservation Authority (RRCA) and St. Lawrence College’s (SLC) Environmental Technician program. The variety of native trees planted will help replace some of the trees removed from the park due to the emerald ash borer beetle and Dutch elm disease. Some of the tree species planted included black cherry, tamarack, black willow, bur oak, and sugar maple. 

“We are very lucky to work with such great community partners on this project,” stated South Glengarry Mayor and RRCA Board Member, Lyle Warden. “A special thank you to all of the volunteers who have come to plant trees with us today. Thank you to our Parks and Recreation department who have organized the two-phase tree removal process and are working hard on making the park user-friendly and safe for all.”

“Promoting a strong tree canopy is a vital part of protecting the health of our region’s watersheds,” noted RRCA Chair and South Glengarry Councillor, Martin Lang. “We are pleased to see this partnership between the RRCA, the Township, and SLC to add trees in Glen Walter Regional Park.”

In addition to community tree planting projects, the RRCA works with landowners to reforest idle or vacant land and provides over-the-counter tree sales to the community at low cost.

“We are currently planning our 2023 tree planting projects,” said RRCA Stewardship Coordinator, Jessica Herrington. “Property owners, teachers, businesses, municipalities, and community groups are encouraged to reach out to us soon with any tree planting projects they have in mind for next year.” 

The Township’s Parks, Recreation and Culture department has been hard at work during the past few years to remove the many trees affected by the emerald ash borer and Dutch elm disease. 

“We are very fortunate for our partners on this project. The RRCA is the expert on planting, so we are lucky to be able to work with them on these types of projects,” stated South Glengarry’s General Manager of Parks, Recreation and Culture, Sherry-Lynn Servage. “We also appreciate the SLC students that were eager to come work on this project with us.”

For the 24 SLC Environmental Technician program students, the experience helped foster a personal connection to some of the stewardship and sustainability concepts they have been studying in class.

“The Environmental Technician students with me today are currently taking a course called Environmental Issues and Solutions,” said Program Coordinator, Jordan Ann Kevan de Haan. “Through activities like this, students can reinforce the idea that by working together, we can also be part of the solution.”

First-year student Diana Olivar was excited to see what the site will look like in the future once the trees mature and grow.

“I am a future-oriented person, and these trees will help not just the environment, but there will be social, cultural and economic benefits as well.”

South Glengarry residents are reminded that mulch from tree removal is available for free at Glen Walter Park’s upper parking lot, as well as at the Glen Gordon Park parking lot, just north of Lancaster.

Through its forestry program, the RRCA has planted over 1.1 million trees locally since 1994, improving the area's tree cover, flood resilience, wildlife habitat, and the overall health of local watersheds. More information on the RRCA’s forestry program can be found at rrca.on.ca or by contacting (613) 938-3611 or info@rrca.on.ca.