The Capital Forest Service is developed in alignment with our mission to mitigate climate change through the planting and care of new urban forests. We aim to inspire new and existing community volunteers to become urban forest stewards by providing them with the skills and knowledge required to properly care for urban trees through workshops and demonstration events. Our goal with the Capital Forest Service is to recognize our volunteers who keep coming back for the time and effort they have dedicated to helping our forests grow. By volunteering to partake in various tasks such as planting, tree care, seed collection, etc., you will earn digital badges for various achievements! Check out some example badges and badge-earners by clicking the badge titles below!
We still have many badges in the works for 2025, stay tuned to see what achievements might interest you. The way the Capital Forest Service works is simple: the more you volunteer with FCF, the more opportunities you will have to earn a badge recognizing your dedication!
- Meet our Mascot!
We couldn’t have a forest service without a trusty mascot to show us how it’s done. Meet Birchy the Badger! Birchy is an adventurous volunteer with FCF who likes to end a long day of stewardship by sitting down at the table to enjoy a big dish of teamwork with a cup of community spirit. Birchy will be here with you every step of the way as you reach new achievements and earn your badges.
- Frequent Flyer
Judith and Peter have earned our Frequent Flyer badge! This badge is awarded to FCF volunteers who have attended an FCF Tree Care Event and returned to our sites to complete tree care on at least 5 separate occasions!
- Miyawaki Legacy
The Miyawaki Legacy badge is awarded to FCF volunteers who have learned how to for a Tiny Forest by participating in one of our Tiny Forest Stewardship workshops! The badge is named in honour of Japanese botanist Dr. Akira Miyawaki, who developed the method of afforestation we follow to plant our Tiny Forests (the Miyawaki Method). A sketch of Dr. Miyawaki is featured on the badge!
- Backwoods Botanist
The first badge we awarded to our volunteers was the Backwoods Botanist badge. It is awarded to volunteers who participate in a planting or tree care event at one of our more “rugged” planting sites – like the Mer Bleue site!
(This badge was designed before Birchy the Badger – our badge mascot – joined the FCF team).
- Tree Taxi
Some badges under the Capital Forest Service are a bit more niche. Raymond has dedicated countless hours driving to and from our planting sites in his Tesla to deliver thousands of trees for planting days! He has earned a special Tree Taxi badge to honour this ongoing commitment.
- Research Ranger
Simona has also dedicated many hours of her time collecting the insect and soil samples for our Tiny Forest biodiversity study with the University of Guelph. She has earned the Research Ranger badge, which we hope can be awarded to more volunteers as we continue to expand our research opportunities!
