Property owners in the Bayfield area have a new and simple way to buy native trees for their yards, thanks to a fresh initiative from the Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority (ABCA).
The program, called Planting with Purpose, introduces an online purchasing portal where each landowner can order up to five native trees. All trees must be pre-purchased and will be available for pickup on Saturday, September 6 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Stanley Community Centre in Varna. The pickup is part of ABCA’s Watershed Awareness Day event.
The new program encourages smaller-scale planting and naturalization projects, complementing ABCA’s long-standing Fall Tree Program, which remains available for larger orders of 20 or more trees.
“We encourage local landowners to buy and plant native species of trees,” said Brooklyn Rau, ABCA Stewardship Technician. “The new Planting with Purpose native tree sale provides an opportunity for landowners to purchase a native species of tree to plant in their yard. Native trees attract pollinators and increase biodiversity, benefitting their property and their community.”
The sale offers both potted deciduous trees and ball-and-burlap conifer trees, with species including Silver Maple, Sugar Maple, Tulip Tree, Bur Oak, Red Oak, Serviceberry, White Pine, White Cedar, Hemlock, and White Birch.
Planting with Purpose is a partnership between ABCA and the Municipality of Bluewater, with support from the Blue Flag program and the Ausable Bayfield Conservation Foundation.
Tree species are available while supplies last. Orders for Planting with Purpose can be placed online at abcashop.ca/order-trees. More information, including details on ABCA’s Fall Tree Program and downloadable order forms, is available at abca.ca/forestry/treeorders/.