Kelowna, BC, April 24, 2008 — TD Friends of the Environment Foundation, Tree Canada and the Regional District of Central Okanagan came together today to plant 49,530 Ponderosa pine and Douglas fir trees in the Kelowna area.
“Kelowna and the Regional District lost huge swaths of forest due to the forest fires back in 2003,” said Michael Rosen, President of Tree Canada. “This reforestation effort will help the area regain wildlife habitats and restore it back to its natural beauty.”
Expected guests for the tree planting include:
- Albert Carwana, Regional Manager, TD Friends of the Environment Foundation;
- Robert Hodbson, Board Chair, Regional District of Central Okanagan;
- Graham Reid, Mayor, Town of Peachland;
- Dale Safinuk, District Vice President, TD Canada Trust;
- Sharon Shepherd, Mayor, City of Kelowna; and
- Christian Walli, Tree Canada’s Community Advisor for BC.
The environmental impact of these 49,530 trees is significant. Each mature tree will lift nearly 400 litres of water out of the ground and discharge it into the air daily, producing life-giving oxygen. Trees reduce water run-off and erosion, keeping streams cleaner and recharging ground water while providing habitat for wildlife.
The Kelowna tree planting initiative is a part of TD’s commitment to plant 160,000 trees in select locations throughout the country that have lost large stands of trees to natural disasters or require reforestation to improve wildlife habitat. Plantings have taken place in Sudbury, Ontario for a long-term forest rehabilitation program in an area used for mining and smelting; Gatineau, Quebec for a city-wide greening project near Lac Beauchamp; and the Halifax, Nova Scotia area where a municipal water supply for East Hants has been restored with trees.
About TD Friends of the Environment Foundation (FEF)
Since 1990, FEF has provided $44 million in funding to 17,000 grassroots environment and wildlife projects across Canada. In 2007, FEF provided $3 million in support of 830 environmental projects. Thousands of TD customers and employees donate to FEF on a monthly basis and TD Bank Financial Group matches donations up to $1 million annually. TD also covers all administrative costs; this ensures 100 percent of every dollar donated goes directly to funding environment and wildlife projects in the community where the donation was made. For more information please visit www.fef.ca.
About Tree Canada
Tree Canada is a charitable organization established to encourage Canadians to plant and care for trees in urban and rural environments. A winner of the Canadian Environmental Award (2007), Tree Canada engages Canadian companies, government agencies and individuals to support the planting of trees, the greening of schoolyards, and other efforts to sensitize Canadians to the benefits of planting and maintaining trees. To date, more than 75 million trees have been planted, more than 450 schoolyards have been greened, and Tree Canada has organized seven national urban forestry conferences. www.treecanada.ca.
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