Living Green Barrie is growing into Oro-Medonte.
The local registered environmental charity, whose mission it is to help people make responsible environmental decisions, was planning to plant 200 native trees and shrubs on Tuesday, Oct. 18 with the help of volunteers from Zehrs Markets at Shelswell Park, a lakefront park in the Township of Oro-Medonte located approximately 25 minutes north of Barrie.
Although Living Green’s tree-planting program normally focuses on land in Barrie, the group opted to branch outside of city limits for this event, noted Andee Pelan, the organization’s executive director.
“Just as the tree in your next-door neighbour’s yard helps you, a tree planted in Oro-Medonte helps everyone in the Lake Simcoe watershed," she said. "We’re all in this together."
The intention of the planting is to help increase local biodiversity and replace some of the trees lost to the emerald ash borer insect — and, being near Lake Simcoe, the trees will also help to improve the health and quality of the lake.
