More trees and shrubs in the ground

May 24, 2022

By Chris Drost

More trees and shrubs are being planted across the region thanks to the Bancroft Area Stewardship Council’s annual Tree and Shrub Program.

Volunteers for BASC worked diligently over four days leading up to the planned May 7 pick-up date for the trees, shrubs and butterfly garden kits offered through the program. Freymond Lumber volunteered to send a truck to pick up the seedlings at the nursery in Kemptville while four volunteers spent hours the following day to tag all the species and start filling the orders. On the Friday, new recruits came in and finished filling the orders and assembling the butterfly kits.

“It is a lot of work but it is also a lot of fun,” said Ian Hendry, chair of BASC who has volunteered his property for assembling and distributing the seedlings for the past few years.

As a result of the program, 6,170 individual trees and shrubs and 42 butterfly gardens were planted. The butterfly gardens were new last year. The species selected for these garden kits will attract pollinators such as butterflies to the garden.

BASC took the Tree and Shrub Program a step further by offering a Shoreline Restoration Contest for two area lakes. Three lucky seasonal property owners benefited from having forester, and BASC director, Fred Werner, plan out a shoreline restoration initiative for each of the properties last fall. Then, on Monday, May 9, a team from the Northern Environmental Research and Development Studies program at North Hastings High School, helped plant the seedlings at the lakeside properties in Wollaston and Harcourt. Werner gave a short demo and tips to the students prior to the planting to ensure the seedlings will have the best opportunity to take.

Members of BASC’s Youth Stewardship Council also got their fingers dirty as they planted a new butterfly pollinator garden at NHHS on May 19. “The school was very supportive and one of our directors, John O’Donnell, came out ahead of time with his rototiller to prepare the soil,” said Hendry.

BASC was also happy to be able to donate 100 white pine and 100 red pine seedlings that were purchased through funds donated by The Rally of the Tally Pines last fall, to the Town of Bancroft recreation department to use for plantings in the community parks.

Long time BASC director, Steve Wilkins, also led a group from the Bancroft Scout Group to Eagles Nest to plant 100 red pine, 100 white pine and 40 red oak seedlings that were donated by BASC.