A few thousand trees: Private landowners caring for and protecting the land they love!

A few thousand trees(18,560 to be more exact): Private landowners caring for and protecting the land they love!

Over 85% percent of the land in the Kawartha Region is owned by private landowners.

Passionate rural landowners, farmers and woodlot managers use their own time and resources to care and protect the land they love. Their efforts in protecting the environment provide benefits to all of us! Whether filtering our drinking water, sequestering carbon to mitigate climate change, or by enhancing habitat for endangered species, private land owners play a huge part in keeping our area sustainable, beautiful and green.

KLT’s mission is “Caring for lands entrusted to us and helping others protect the land they love in the Kawarthas.”

One of the ways we help others is by promoting good land stewardship in key identified areas and by initiating conversations about the importance of quality, connected natural systems. This fall, thanks to funding from Ontario Trillium Foundation’s Seed Grant, we were able to reach out and work with private landowners to help them care for their lands.

To identify high priority natural areas for protection and restoration KLT uses the Kawartha’s Naturally Connected landscape analysis and mapping tools. KLT reached out to people who live within these special identified areas to offer tree planting and land stewardship services to those that manage land in identified natural areas.

It was an opportunity for us to say thank you for caring for the nature that sustains us, to share our conservation vision, and to get our hands dirty while planting a few thousand trees.

With the support of many volunteers who provided hundreds of hours of volunteer time, we added more wildlife food sources along creeks by planting native shrubs, increased the size of core forest by planting adjacent vacant fields and added species diversity to wildlife corridors.

Maybe even more importantly, we got to meet other like-minded people who share our vision for the future of the Kawarthas, people who are doing everything they can to protect their land and want our natural environment to thrive!

When a picture is worth a thousand words –
We hope you enjoy these photos and captions from our fall tree planting project:

Tree Planting
Andrea Ross brought neighbours together to help plant trees on her property in the Bethany Hills area- part of our area identified as having an above average amount of connected forests and wetlands remaining.
Kailee Marland volunteered over 100 hours to plan and implement this riparian buffer that will promote clean water entering the important Emily Creek wetland. It will also add wildlife habitat to a working farm.
These volunteers heading back for a well deserved coffee break after planting 500 trees and shrubs along the creek border.
Debra Gates and Fiona Mackay having fun broadcasting wildflower seeds. Farms are full of nooks and crannies where biodiversity can thrive. Native wildflowers and native grass planting will enhance habitat for pollinators.
Doug and Janet Davison stand in front of fields planted 30 years ago, and 30 seconds ago. On fragmented landscapes, planting of fields that were unsuccessfully farmed can provide important corridors of green for wildlife movement.
Over 20 years Bat Buxton planted 1000s of trees on what was once a ‘heavily grazed mudflat’. On areas still grazed we fenced our planted trees from cattle. These trees will prevent erosion of the stream, and keep the water cool by creating shade.
Jordon Rolph and Sharyn Inward having fun on a perfect fall day of planting.
Jordon Rolph, professional tree planter and Thom Unrau, KLT Stewardship Coordinator hold up 50 white pine seedlings ready to be put in the ground. It’s amazing to consider that when these trees grow up to become towering forest giants, Kawartha Land Trust will still be protecting nature in the Kawarthas.

See KLT’s Map of Stewardship Projects on Private Lands

Thank you to Ontario Trillium Foundation for providing funding in part for this project.Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) Logo

Posted October 23, 2017.

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