Have you ever stopped to think how the Ganaraska Forest & other large forest tracts came to be?
In today's busy world we tend to take things like forests for granted. We enjoy their beauty, recreational opportunities, cooling effects on hot days, and their timber products, but we never think of the men, women and youth of the past that had the foresight to plant the trees that give us our forests today.
With the help of Edmund Zavitz (1875 - 1968), many local families planted thousands of trees on private lands across Northumberland County and the Regional Municipality of Durham.
The original impetus was to control soil erosion on barren lands such as the Oak Ridges Moraine and to mitigate downstream flooding in settlements such as Port Hope. Ganaraska Conservation offers a variety of stewardship programs, directly or in conjunction with other organizations, to help watershed property owners plant native trees and shrubs.
GRCA Stewardship Programs
Participating in the GRCA Tree & Shrub Seedling Program allows property owners to purchase and plant bareroot native tree and shrub seedlings. Seedlings can be ordered in late fall through winter for a spring delivery. The minimum order is 25 seedlings/bundle per species. Orders due by March 6th, 2026.
View the GRCA Tree & Shrub Seedling Order Form (PDF).
The total cost includes the cost of the seedling, an administrative fee and HST.
To find out more about the GRCA Tree & Shrub Seedling Program or to arrange for your free site visit, contact the Conservation Lands Coordinator.
Funding for tree planting may be available, please see the Clean Water-Healthy Land Financial Assistance Program.
