On Saturday, September 19th, the Mount Forest Green Team and Mount Forest Tree Trust chapter held their 3rd annual Tree of the Year celebration. This year’s winner – a 100 year old Black Cherry in the Mount Forest Cemetery – was celebrated by 70 enthusiastic guests. This free event had music, a repurposed craft table, face painting for kids and refreshments available to attendees. Tober Tree Management certified arborist Tobias Guenter performed structural pruning to improve the health and longevity of the Black Cherry while his partner, certified arborist Manuela De Medeiros, taught guests about Black Cherry trees and the importance of long-term tree health management. In support of the goal of increasing biodiversity and preserving the urban tree canopy, Tober Tree Management also cleared out the invasive Buckthorn that was overtaking a neighboring Red Maple tree in the Mount Forest Cemetery. two “understudy” Bur Oak trees that were planted around the mature Black Cherry to create a more diverse urban forest within the cemetery. The planting of these trees was assisted by an excited group of next generation tree stewards.
Wellington North council members Penny Renken, Sherry Burke and Steve McCabe were in attendance and shared their support for preserving mature trees, advocating for urban tree bylaws and promoting the work that environmental organizations like Tree Trust and the Mount Forest Green Team do. Each council member took the opportunity to speak to the crowd and make connections with the local environmental community.
This event had a great turnout and was successful in honoring mature trees and raising awareness in the Mount Forest community about the importance of preserving the urban canopy. The Mount Forest Tree Trust team did a wonderful job of promoting the values of education, advocacy and community engagement with this event and it was a great opportunity for passionate people to learn more about trees!
