Tree Trust, a program of the Elora Environment Centre, is a foundational program established in June 2019 after seeing a growing need to preserve the mature trees that offer a tremendous environmental value to both our community and the world at large. Our mission is to help preserve important legacy trees in communities across Southern Ontario. Our mandate is to hire professional, certified arborists to practice their craft by reducing a tree’s crown, removing deadwood, retrenching where needed and more – all of which effectively extend the life of a legacy tree.
Founded in 1993, our mission has been to identify, field test and deliver environmental programs at the community level, and to promote sustainability through public education and program activities. Our vision is that all communities and citizens adopt sustainable approaches to how they live and utilize resources such as energy, water and materials, and commit to environmental stewardship as a way of life. Our programs over the years have included:
40,000 Residential Energy Efficiency home visits which provided residents with $10 million in Federal grants and saving 25 thousand tonnes of CO2 annually
Well Aware Program that helped rural landowners ensure their well water was safe
Rain Garden Program
Bicycle courier business pilot
Small commercial audits in Wellington, Grey, and Bruce Counties to help cut electrical use for small business owners
A Green Hotline which produced a comprehensive Community Energy Plan for Centre Wellington
Home Electrical ‘Audit’ Program pilot to identify opportunities to cut electricity use
Tree Inventory Program with an expanding database of 12,000 trees and more than 300 volunteers and 20 summer students
Citizen Pruner Pilot Program which taught community members how to prune dozens of young public and schoolyard trees under the guidance of certified arborists