The fourth annual TD Tree Days planting event was held in Minden on Sept. 15 in Rotary Park. Top about 30 volunteers of all ages worked throughout the morning to plant 50 trees and 280 shrubs. Bottom Karen Clark of Orillia came to the area to help volunteer with her son who works in the Minden branch.
By Sue Tiffin
Published Sept. 20 2018
Early into the annual TD Tree Days planting event in Minden last Saturday volunteers were dripping with sweat and swatting away pesky bugs along the shoreline of Rotary Park in Minden but nobody was complaining. Some who have contributed their time to planting each year for the past four years knew weather conditions could have been worse: four years ago the event coincided with a snowfall.
Fifty trees and 280 shrubs – 15 different native species of trees – were planted on Sept. 15 along the shoreline of Rotary Park where high waters in the past have caused a loss of mature trees.
“Each year is a little different with the same theme – shoreline naturalization and just greening the community” said Mark Coleman Minden Hills community services director. Coleman said the work done would help strengthen the shoreline against erosion.
“It’s a great community effort” he said noting that more than half of the volunteers had returned each year.
On past TD Tree Days TD’s flagship volunteer program about 500 trees and shrubs have been planted in Minden along the Riverwalk along the Gull River and by the community centre.
According to the TD Friends of the Environment website more than 285000 trees have been added to the Canadian landscape since the program’s start. The 300000th tree donated through the program was expected to be planted this year. In addition to Tree Planting Days the TD Friends of the Environment Foundation has donated more than $50000 to projects around Minden Hills over the past five years.
