Trees for a healthier living: GentleWays’ commitment
GentleWays for OurPlanet is dedicated to rebuilding Ottawa’s urban forests. In partnership with the City of Ottawa, Ecology Ottawa, and with the support of our community, we are committed to planting trees in every available space across the city.
Reforestation brings countless ecological and community benefits. Trees are the beautiful pillars of life on Earth: they clean the air we breathe, cool our cities, and provide homes for diverse wildlife and people alike.
As part of our mission, we are devoted to advancing tree equity, ensuring that every neighborhood, regardless of income or location, enjoys the shade, beauty, and health benefits of thriving urban forests. Together, we can grow a greener, fairer future for all.
Our next tree-planting event
Our most recent event, held on October 19, 2024, in collaboration with the City of Ottawa, was a resounding success. Taking place at Kings Grant Park in Richmond, Ottawa, our dedicated volunteers planted 150 trees. A standout feature of the event was the enthusiastic participation of the Green Reps from the University of Ottawa’s Sustainability Centre, whose energy and commitment greatly contributed to the day’s achievements.
Looking ahead, we’re excited to plan our next annual tree-planting event for September 2025. Partnering once again with the City of Ottawa’s Park Maintenance and Forestry Services, we will continue our mission to make Ottawa greener and more sustainable. As always, we are committed to planting trees in areas where they are most needed, advancing the goal of tree equity for the benefit of all.
Some info on trees and their impact on everyone
Neighbourhoods with healthy tree populations are even shown to have less incidences of violence. Trees and forests are playing and will play a determinant role in climate change mitigation. According to research made by Tree Canada Foundation, “the average Canadian tree will sequester about 200 kg C over an 80-year period in an urban environment”. This means that as we continue to passionately support tree-planting projects, we are protecting not only our communities but also the entire planet. 
The Two Billion Trees initiative
Recognizing these values, the Canadian government has launched four years ago an exciting initiative to plant 2 billion trees over the next 10 years to help restore degraded ecosystems. This renewed forest cover will be essential for Canada’s long-term vision for a sustainable future. GentleWays for OurPlanet has explored partnership opportunities with the vision of planting a very large number of trees under this initiative. Any initiative under this program would have to be in collaboration with the municipality of Ottawa. We also learned about new and innovative planting methods such as the Miyawaki forest. This method, being implemented so far in Kingston, Cornwall and Ottawa, enables forestation and eco-system restoration within shorter periods of time compared to traditional planting methods.
