White Pine, Eastern Tamarack, and White Spruce Trees.

1 Million Greenbelt Trees

One Million Trees – One Shared Vision  

In 2026, Forests Canada and the Greenbelt Foundation achieved a significant milestone: one million trees planted across Ontario’s Greenbelt. Since partnering in 2022, the organizations have worked to create healthier, more connected ecosystems, deliver lasting benefits to communities, and mitigate the impacts of climate change through strategic tree planting—putting the right trees in the right places for the right reasons.  

Combining the Greenbelt Foundation’s long-term vision and investment with Forest Canada’s expertise in large-scale tree planting and forest restoration, this partnership has helped advance landscape restoration across the region. The significance of this work was recognized on the global scale in the State of the World’s Forests 2026 report, published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The report featured Forest Canada’s work in Ontario’s Greenbelt as an example of successful large-scale restoration, highlighting how investments in forest and landscape restoration can deliver lasting benefits for people, nature, and economies.   

Local Efforts – Global Success  

This investment in forest habitat provides significant benefits to wildlife, natural systems, and the one in four Canadians currently living in the region. Healthy forests help stabilize shorelines and watersheds, manage stormwater, moderate temperatures, and support local communities as they adapt to climate change. Investing in forest planting also contributes to Ontario’s restoration economy, creating jobs, enhancing economic opportunities through nature-based tourism and recreation, and reducing the costs associated with climate change. 

Ecological Outcomes  

  • 64,310 ha of wooded areas were connected within 1,500 m of planting sites; 
  • 7,491 ha of protected areas are within 1,500 m of planting sites;  
  • 91 ha of planting sites are near (within 250 m) Ontario Trail Network; 
  • 11 ha of provincially significant wetlands are within 1 m of planting sites;  
  • 88 ha of areas of natural and significant interest are within 100 m of planting sites. 

Strategic Planting – Healthy Communities  

The need to expand forest cover across the Greenbelt was previously highlighted in the Southern Ontario Nature Coalition (SONC) 2021 report, Near-Urban Nature Network: A Solution for Climate Change and Biodiversity Loss. The report identified the need to plant 54 million native trees across the Greater Golden Horseshoe region and Greenbelt to achieve 30 per cent of healthy forest cover. 

Reaching this level of forest cover would provide significant benefits to communities across the region while contributing to broader efforts to address biodiversity loss and climate change. It would also support progress toward Canada’s commitment, made in 2022 in Montreal, to conserve 30 per cent of its lands and waters by 2030.