Happy Spring FCF volunteers!
As the warmth of spring begins to embrace us, we’re excited to welcome all our dedicated volunteers back from winter hibernation! It’s time to roll up your sleeves and get ready for another eventful year of tree care.
We’ve been busy all winter gearing up and planning for big projects and exciting new initiatives this year. Your passion and commitment continue to drive us forward, and we can’t wait to share these new opportunities with you soon.
Gratitude for a Successful 2023 Season
Before we start the new season off, we want to express our heartfelt gratitude to each and every one of you who contributed to making last year such a success. Your dedication and hard work didn’t go unnoticed. In 2023, over 80 FCF volunteers attended 15 events at our base of operations and urban forest sites across the city.
This year, we’re anticipating engaging volunteers even earlier and offering more opportunities for tree care and planting. Together, we’ll continue to make a positive difference in our environment and create a greener, healthier future for all. Thank you for being a vital part of Forêt Capitale Forest. We look forward to another great year of collaboration and growth.
2024 so far…
Growing Green Fair – March 3rd 2024
We kicked off 2024 in Rockland at the growing green and sustainability fair by the Rockland community garden in partnership with the city of Rockland. The event was a big success with over 50 vendors and community organizations in attendance. FCF’s director Shelley Lambert presented a seminar on “Listening to a Forest to Improve Community Health”. Thank you to everyone who attended the seminar and came to see us at the fair! Big shout out to FCF volunteers Shealyn and Holly for helping us during the whole event! We look forward to being back at Rockland next year.
Apple tree pruning workshop – March 17th, 2024
FCF hosted an apple tree pruning workshop with Earth Path at our base operations at the Just Food Community Farm. Attendees got the chance to learn about proper pruning techniques for tree health and growth. Don’t forget to click here to read our latest blog post about the workshop and access the winter tree pruning resources provided.
Field trip to Ferguson tree nursery – March 20,2024
FCF staff and directors had the privilege of visiting the Ferguson tree nursery in Kemptville last week. During this field trip, we learned a great deal about tree seed extraction, stratification techniques, and the dedication required to grow thousands of healthy native trees in eastern Ontario. We extend a warm thank you to Maureen and her hardworking team for sharing their knowledge and passion with us!
Grassroots Groundswell – March 26th 2024
Earlier this week FCF participated in the Grassroots Groundswell event hosted by Ecology Ottawa at the Ottawa Art gallery. We had the opportunity to host a group session on Tiny forest and sustainable accelerated restorative actions.
Spring awakening
The trees at our base of operations are slowly emerging from dormancy, eagerly awaiting the return of FCF volunteers. Look at our tiniest tiny forest that was planted last fall. As you can see the 4 meters square patch of forest is draining the standing water after snow melts much better than the clay heavy soil around. This is an example of just one of the many benefits of planting tiny forests.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
Do you own a truck or a trailer? FCF is looking for volunteers to help us transport water totes and wood pallets to our urban tree sites this May. Please email us at comms@foretcapitaleforest.ca if you are interested to help out!
Upcoming events
- Volunteer Appreciation Day on April 18th from 5pm-7pm.
- We have a lot to be thankful for and invite you to join us on April 18th at the Just Food Community Farm so we can celebrate you – our volunteers! Appetizers and beverages will be on hand and we’ll present our project updates for 2024.
- Stay tuned for next week’s announcement about how you can register for the event
- Earth Day at our Base of operations on April 22nd from 10am – 12pm.
- Seedling Saturday on May 11th from 10am -1pm.
- Come pickup local seeds and seedlings provided by the Just food Community Farm! You can read more about the event here