By Marlene Knezevich, chair of Let’s Tree Wilmot, as seen in the Wilmot-Tavistock Gazette
Let’s Tree Wilmot, a project of Garden Wilmot, is excited for its 2025 Spring tree planting projects. The first one is on Saturday April 26th in the afternoon on Perth Street, New Hamburg. Let’s Tree Wilmot and Ducks Unlimited are working with the two farm owners who dredged a pond last year to create a new wetland. This will be a great home for turtles, birds, frogs and other wetland wildlife. Two hundred native trees and shrubs will be planted around the perimeter to provide more habitat, prevent erosion and shelter this area. This planting site is suitable for all ages and ability levels to join in to plant.
Another future wetland, the Nithview Floodplain behind Nithview Homes in New Hamburg will have its third tree planting on May 3rd with morning and afternoon shifts. This tree..mendous project has Let’s Tree Wilmot, Ducks Unlimited and Wilmot Township working with the owners Tri-County Mennonite Homes. They won a grant from Earthscapes Catalyst to create a wetland habitat and trails. This floodplain is all non-native grass. Last year an area was cultivated to make way for a pollinator meadow which is seeded with native grasses and flowers. The other areas will have native trees planted. We will be planting 407 trees and shrubs such as white pine, red oak, silver maple, tamarack, Black cherry, red bud, St. John’s wort, nannyberry and bur oak. For the second year, we are harvesting about 300 trees from Let’s Tree Wilmot’s seedling nursery to plant at this site and others.
On Saturday, May 10th, Sir Adam Beck PS is planting 40 native trees and Let’s Tree Wilmot offered expertise for tree selection and planting expertise.
Our final spring tree planting event is Saturday morning on May 24th at Scott Park, New Hamburg. This was LTW’s first native tree planting site in October 2020, the first year of Covid. We have planted 17 species of native trees and shrubs. This third planting will be 178 native trees and shrubs along the shores of the Nith River to replace dying older trees and prevent shoreline erosion. On the west side, habitat restoration will occur adjacent to an existing woodlot. This is great event for families.
This spring the common theme is wetlands. All the plantings are creating or enhancing wetland habitat which is important as a small percent is left in Southern Ontario. Wetlands are crucial in filtering and cleaning water, flood protection, carbon storage, shoreline stabilization and fish and wildlife habitat and of course, beautiful and wonderful places for us to walk. It is fun to look out for muskrats, beaver, turtles, and the multiple bird species such as the osprey, ducks, swallows, redwing blackbird. Sometimes the rare Bufflehead duck may appear.
New Hamburg is becoming rich in this type of habitat with the Schout Wetlands and the LTW projects. There are many landowners in Wilmot Township working with Grand River Conservation Authority, sometimes with Ducks Unlimited or on their own restoring wetlands on their properties.
Join us for tree planting to increase Wilmot’s tree canopy with your family and friends. Details are at LetsTreeWilmot.ca on the events page. Watch us on Facebook. Garden Wilmot has Garden Talk series so go to their Facebook page. See you soon for a tree…errific time!
Tree planting at Scott Park, New Hamburg.
Perth Street wetland with creation of turtle habitat and native trees and shrubs to be planted.
