Representatives from the Ferguson Forest Centre (FFC) were at North Grenville Council last night to let the community know it’s not closing down or killing millions of trees. The move follows reports from various media outlets indicating a plan to knock-off all the saplings slated for the 50 Million Tree program, run through Forests Ontario.
The province announced plans to cancel the program at the end of April. Trees for the program represent 40% of the FFC’s total production.
Board Chair Carl Doucette says the FFC is in no danger of closing and millions of trees are not being destroyed.
CEO Ed Patchell says the local nursery is in better shape than some of the other nurseries involved in the program. Patchell says cancelling the 50 Million Tree program is concerning, but it won’t mean the end of the FFC. He says the nursery is currently doing inventory management like any other business would have to do.
Patchell says the best case scenario would be for the province to reinstate the program. He says the tree planting program is very important for the environment.
Patchell says the province is stating 68 million trees are being planted outside of the program, but that’s reforestation not afforestation. He says people are getting cheap trees, but the 15-year agreement to care for the trees is investing in the future.
Patchell and Doucette asked council to advocate for the FFC on a provincial level.