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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday August 15, 2007 - 3 Global tree campaign takes root in southern Ontario By David Lea OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF McGuinty promises to plant 50 million trees by 2020 The Premier of Ontario earned the praise of the United Nations during a visit to Oakville on Monday, as he announced an ambitious plan to plant 50 million trees in southern Ontario by the year 2020. Amid the green scenery of Bronte Creek Provincial Park Premier Dalton McGuinty helped this project along by joining the children of the Oakville YMCA in planting an oak sapling after which he ascended a nearby podium to address the swarms of media personnel and onlookers assembled to hear him speak. "More trees in our cities means more natural beauty and more shade to keep houses cool, so they use less energy," said McGuinty. "More trees in our parks makes them even more beautiful for children and families to have great public spaces to enjoy. More trees in forests, near lakes and alongside rivers, means less runoff and erosion, a stronger ecosystem and that means we are doing more to help other species to thrive." Besides beautifying the environment, McGuinty noted that more trees help in the war on climate change and that 50 million trees will go a long way in that fight. "As trees grow, they absorb and store carbon in their roots, in their trunk and in their branches. Fifty million trees will remove 3.8 million tones of carbon dioxide from our atmosphere by 2054," he said. "That's equal to 172 million car trips of about 100 km in length, which is roughly the distance between Toronto and Barrie." The tree planting project is part of the United Nations `Plant for the Planet ­ Billion Tree Campaign,' the goal of which is to fight climate change by having one billion trees planted globally each year. McGuinty's pledge is the largest commitment made to the campaign in North America so far, an action that has not gone unnoticed by the United Nations. "The United Nations Environment Program welcomes you and the people of Ontario as a partner that inspires, informs and makes possible a universal environmental ethos of respect for our planet's natural resources. Thank you for committing to action," said Elisabeth Guilbaud-Cox, Deputy Director of the United Nations Environment Program's "Every year about 13 million hectares of forests are lost, an area the size of Greece and Nicaragua. We need to reverse this trend." Elisabeth Guilbaud-Cox, Deputy Director of the United Nations Environment Program's Regional Office of North America DEREK WOOLLAM / OAKVILLE BEAVER CENTRE OF ATTENTION: Premier Dalton McGuinty is greeted by camera crews and YMCA campers at Bronte Creek Provincial Park, were he announced a promise to plant 50 million trees in southern Ontario by 2020. "More trees in our cities means more natural beauty and more shade to keep houses cool, so they use less energy." Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty Ontario's 50 million tree contribution will be handled by the Trees Ontario Foundation, Stewardship Ontario, the Ontario Forestry Association, the Forest Gene Conservation Association, the Ontario Tree Seed Plant, Conservation Ontario, Ontario's Conservation Authorities and privately owned nurseries. Many of these organizations will be seeking volunteers. For McGuinty, making Ontario a leader in returning the trees to the forests just makes sense. "We are the strongest province in one of the most blessed countries on the planet. It seems to me that we have a special responsibility to the future to do our share and to lead by example. By planting a tree, any one of us can do our part and leave our own green legacy for others to enjoy," he said. "There's an old saying, `the best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second best time is right now.'" Regional Office of North America. The project is already well underway with the planting of 1.8 million trees in the Greenbelt starting this spring. A total of four million trees will to be planted in the first two years of the project, but all this planting is not coming cheap, with a price tag of $79 million. For Guilbaud-Cox the cost is worth the results. "Planting trees remains the cheapest and most effective means of drawing excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The loss of natural forests around the world contributes more to greenhouse gas emissions than the transport sector," she said. Guilbaud-Cox notes tree planting operations like McGuinty's are more important than ever. Despite the gifts forests give to the world, a large percentage of humanity still only see value in trees when they are cut down, she said. "Every year about 13 million hectares of forests are lost, an area the size of Greece and Nicaragua. We need to reverse this trend," said Guilbaud-Cox. "The current world population stands at 6.5 billion. By 2042 it is expected to grow to 9 billion. If we want to meet our agricultural and industrial needs we will need to stop ravaging our forests." Guilbaud-Cox went on to say that to undo the damage done in the last 10 years, 321 acres of trees would need to be planted, an area the size of Peru. To aid the United Nations and the Government of Ontario in their tree planting efforts, Guilbaud-Cox encouraged anyone her words reach to join the `Plant for the Planet- Billion Tree Campaign' and pledge to plant a tree on the UNEP website. More importantly GuilbaudCox urges people to look after the trees they plant to make sure they survive. "It's important to do the research to look for the right tree, because you need an indigenous tree. You don't want to bring a tree from anywhere and plant it anywhere. You need the right tree at the right place for the right time," she said. "It's better you plant two trees and follow up with them regularly than plant 100 trees and then think, `okay, I've done my part, I can move on.'" The task of carrying out the planting of the Government of GIRL$ JU$T WANNA HAVE FUND$ PRESENTS A FREE INFORMATION NIGHT DEBT REDUCTION SECRETS EXPOSED! Our goal is to provide women and their families with valuable information and resources to help reduce debt and plan for a bright financial future. Like you, we have no time or need for hype or smoke and mirrors. Learn HOW and WHY 87% of people fail to get ahead and why you don't have to! See how our program can help you build a proper financial foundation. Join us for a FREE information night on Tuesday, August 21st from 7-9 p.m. at the Oakville Town Hall, 1225 Trafalgar Road, Committee Room #1. To reserve your seat call Joan from GIRL$ JU$T WANNA HAVE FUND$ at 905-469-7448 or email jhingkin@cogeco.ca. Limited Seating.