Volunteers helped Living Green Barrie plant hundreds of new trees in northwest Barrie this morning, in the fight against climate change, during the Pine Tree Real Estate 2024 Halloween Community Tree Planting event.
Jesse Whitton, 8, braved the cool temperatures and misty rain with his family as they worked hard planting the crop of new saplings in Pringle Park, not far from Ferndale and Edgehill drives.
So, why do it?
“So we can go to Pumpkinferno tomorrow,” Whitton says without missing a beat, sparking laughter from his parents and younger sister.
That particular Halloween event is taking place at Discovery Harbour in Penetanguishene, and it’s just part of the deal, Whitton adds.
Beyond that, though, the young man tells BarrieToday they are here “because some trees are dying, because there are so many vehicles, and the planet has changed, so we have to plant as many as we can,” he says with seriousness.
“For us, they make oxygen; and for nature, they filter the water and the air,” Whitton says.
His little sister, who is clearly not as comedic in nature as her older brother, was far too busy to speak with the reporter, and continued to dig into the wet ground, widening a decent-sized hole for the next small sapling.
Meanwhile, Andee Pelan, executive director of Living Green Barrie, runs through the process of proper tree planting with other volunteers who have just arrived at the park, wanting to give their time to the cause.
“It’s all part of Living Green’s goal of planting 10,000 trees in Barrie, and so today we are planting just under 400, hopefully,” Pelan says.
“We like to do it at Halloween because it’s a great time for people to come out, wear ridiculous costumes, plant some trees and have some fun with it.”
Pelan says the fall season is a great time to plant trees because the trees are starting to “go to sleep” for the winter. They don’t really know the stress of being planted until they are in the ground and they wake up in the spring in their new home, so it’s a perfect time to get those roots set in the soil.
“We are focused on climate action and, in particular, we want climate action that people can actually do, because there is a lot of talk about climate change and they really don’t see how it affects them and what they can do about it, but planting a tree is a really obvious one that is great for habitat, for cleaning air, making people healthier and happier, all of the benefits that a tree can do,” she says.
Pelan believes there is “nothing greater than coming out with your kids and planting with them, and then bringing them back out when they have their kids and sitting under those trees. There really is nothing better than that.”
The group only plants native trees during its events.
“People ask, ‘What species are you planting?’ And the answer is, ‘A lot.’ I could list them all, but you would be bored, because we are putting in a whole bunch of diversity, largely because that’s how nature works, and not everything is going to survive. So, if the dogwoods don’t take, maybe the willows will, and if the pines don’t work, then maple the maples will,” Pelan says.
The event is sponsored by Pine Tree Realty, the Lake Simcoe Conservation Authority, the City of Barrie and the Barrie South Lions Club.
