Green Venture Tree Planting with Anglican Diocese of Niagara

We're excited to announce our latest project: Tree Planting with Anglican Diocese of Niagara across the Golden Horseshoe! These trees will beautify church grounds and help combat the effects of climate change, improve air quality, and boost local biodiversity.

In 2024, Climate Justice Niagara (CJN) received a $15,000 grant for its Communion Forest Initiative, thanks to a $7,500 Veriditas Grant from the Anglican Foundation of Canada, matched by the Diocese of Niagara. This funding supported the Niagara Communion Forest – Inventory, Planting, and Stewardship project, which will help parishes across the diocese plant and care for trees, promoting urban forest health. The Diocese of Niagara includes much of the Golden Horseshoe, and moves north to include Erin and Orangeville, and as far as Shelburne.?

What’s the goal? Volunteers assessed existing trees on church properties, identified areas for new planting, and helped increase tree cover across the region. By doing this, churches can contribute to climate action and create peaceful green spaces for the community.

How is Green Venture involved? As a consultant, Green Venture led training sessions for parish volunteers, teaching them how to identify, monitor, and care for native trees. In collaboration with Neighbourwoods Toronto ( Danijela Puric-Mladenovic ), parishioners also learned about tree inventories and the importance of urban forest management.

After their inventories were completed, four parishes decided to proceed with tree planting based on volunteer interest, capacity, available land and other factors.?

• St. John's in Burlington committed to planting 14 native trees
• St. Paul’s in Caledonia committed to planting a full Mini Forest which includes native 300 trees and shrubs
• St.David's in Welland committed to planting a large ceremonial tree to celebrate their 75th anniversary
• St. Paul's in Westdale planted 4 trees on-site?

What is a Mini Forest?

Mini Forests, despite their small size, pack a powerful environmental punch. They contribute to carbon sequestration, help combat the urban heat island effect, reduce stormwater runoff, and create habitats for pollinators and other wildlife. The Mini Forest approach aims to establish small but diverse and ecologically impactful forest patches. Practitioners and communities adopting mini forest planting techniques report that trees grow twice the speed normally expected, weed competition is suppressed, soils are enriched and retain more moisture, and that mini forest patches support greater biodiversity. The hallmarks of the mini forest planting technique include: soil preparation with deep digging and the addition of compost and other amendments; dense planting with 4 trees per meter squared (m2); the use of a wide variety of locally native trees and shrub species (e.g., 15-30 species) that are planted with a multi-layered design to mimic the complexity and canopy layers of a native forest; and planting all this in a very small area, ~ as small as 100 m2, or about the size of a tennis court.

Since 2021, Green Venture has been piloting mini forests as a method to increase canopy cover and grow Hamilton’s urban forest.

Why Mini Forests Matter:

• Carbon Capture: Trees are excellent at absorbing carbon dioxide, helping reduce the impacts of climate change.
• Biodiversity: Mini forests provide a habitat for birds, and pollinators, helping restore local ecosystems.
• Community Engagement: Communities can get hands-on with the planting process, deepening their connection to environmental care.

Sustainability for the long term: To ensure the trees thrive, volunteers also received guidance on tree care and maintenance, ensuring the trees can succeed.

Keep following along to learn more about Green Venture's tree planting initiatives.

Project leads: Liz Enriquez and Deirdre Pike - Queer Positive Power