Rooting for Success: Cracking the Code on Tree Survival in Niagara

When you first think of planting a tree, a pretty specific image might come to mind… a fully leafed-out tree, a shovel, some soil, and maybe a slightly sore back. Flash forward ten years and there it is, a beautiful, towering tree overhead with your back fully healed! Simple enough, right?

Unfortunately, not exactly. That image might need a little more adjusting.

Picture instead a four-foot tree with bare roots and no foliage in sight, but with the same sore back. Not quite as cinematic, but a much more honest starting point.

Land Care Niagara (LCN) has been planting trees across the Niagara Region for over two and a half decades. Since 2000, LCN has planted more than 1.4 million native shrubs and trees, and with each planting new lessons are learned and new ideas take root. With the support of the Greenbelt Foundation, those ideas and lessons were dusted off from field sheets, notebooks, and the memories of experienced volunteers and staff, and put into practice to ensure the roots actually run deep.

Across 12 different test sites in Niagara, LCN planted 23, 350 trees with 2,000 of those (funded by the Greenbelt Foundation) planted deliberately under varied conditions and parameters to figure out what combination of factors gives a young tree its best chance at survival. Soil type, planting season, species selection, site preparation, and post-planting care are all on the table.

We also sat down with people who know trees the best: native tree nursery owners, local arborists, and foresters. All with a rooted interest in Niagara’s trees and who have practical, experience- based wisdom that you might not find buried in a textbook. By bringing together this knowledge, alongside our own historical data stretching back to 2007, we are helping to unify information often scattered across organizations and individuals. The result is a collaborative guide that supports shared learning, strengthens collective efforts, and helps us all make a lasting and positive impact on Niagara’s environment.

All of this research, data, and expertise is coming together in our upcoming “Field Guide to Planting Trees in Niagara”, a practical, evidence-based resource. This guide will cover everything from site selection and species choice to post-planting monitoring and the most common causes of tree loss in the region. From our data we have already identified the top three challenges affecting young tree survival in Niagara: drought, grass and invasive competition, and deer browse. The guide will address each directly with practical strategies any organization or landowner can apply. Designed for everyone from seasoned conservation organizations to first-time tree planters, this guide will be freely available and distributed to partners across Niagara once finalized. A local resource, for local native trees, in a local landscape.

Stay tuned for updates as we release our “A Field Guide to Planting Trees in Niagara” resource so you can keep that image of a towering, beautiful tree in your head as you pick up your shovel.

Learn more about Land Care Niagara’s work at landcareniagara.com and explore how you can support restoration efforts in your community.