Conservation Sudbury Becomes Planting Delivery Agency; Landowners Wanted For New Forests

By Angela Gemmill

Conservation Sudbury has become the first conservation authority in Northern Ontario to become a Planting Delivery Agency (PDA), by Forests Ontario.

This means the agency can offer subsidies to land owners who would like to plant trees on their open or mostly open property to establish new forests.

Conservation Assistant, Hajnal Kovacs says they have funding to plant 50,000 trees over the next year within the three watersheds: Vermillion, Wahnapitae and Whitefish River Watersheds.

She calls this a great opportunity for landowners since it will cost 15-cents per pine seedling.

This includes the actual planting, plus the property owners will have access to professional foresters along the way.

All trees planted this year will be pine seedlings unless otherwise agreed upon with the landowner.

Kovacs says this program is only meant to compliment the re-greening efforts that’s been going on in Sudbury for the past three decades.

She says Conservation Sudbury is targeting landowners the city’s regreening program is not able to reach, since it falls within city limits, while the PDA extends to land within the watersheds.

Any property owner interested in applying should go to www.conservationsudbury.ca for more information.

The new forest must remain for a 15-year term based on an agreement between the landowner and Conservation Sudbury.