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In addition to the health benefits, tree giveaway programs are a valuable source of community connection.
Published May 22, 2026 • 3 minute read
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New this spring, Ecology Ottawa has launched a complementary program, Trees for Today, to give away larger saplings in partnership with community associations in equity-deserving neighbourhoods.Article content
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They’re programs taking root across the country that promise to make our cities greener and more liveable.
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Here in Ontario, annual and semi-annual (spring and fall) tree and shrub giveaways are well underway in such major urban centres as Toronto, Ottawa, Mississauga, Brampton and Kitchener, all tied to the overarching goal of increasing the tree canopy of these cities.
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What is a tree canopy, you ask? It’s a term commonly used in urban forestry and municipal planning to measure the percentage of land area covered by trees.
And it’s an increasingly important way to determine how resilient cities are in the face of climate change, right down to the neighbourhood level, because less affluent neighbourhoods don’t always have ready access to parks or greenspace.
Due to a shortage of trees in those parts of the city, they’re hotter and less hospitable when warm weather hits, resulting in what is known as urban heat islands. So, there’s an equity/quality-of-life argument in support of tree giveaway programs as well.
To address this challenge, Ottawa has set an ambitious target of 40 per cent urban tree canopy coverage — the same goal as Toronto, though without a firm deadline attached.
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While the city’s overall canopy grew modestly between 2017 and 2022, only three of 24 wards are currently hitting the 40 per cent mark. Further complicating matters, fourteen wards have in recent years lost tree coverage due to development, intensification and severe weather events.
Apart from providing shade, increasing a city’s tree canopy also helps to clean the air, support biodiversity, attract wildlife and, overall, have a positive impact on residents’ mental health. Research consistently links tree canopy and green cover to reduced anxiety, lower cortisol levels, faster recovery from illness, and reduced violent crime.
In the past, cities were mostly focused on tree plantings on public property. However, because municipal land represents a fraction of any urban footprint, these relatively new tree giveaway programs focus on getting more trees planted on private land — typically the parts of the city where there are often far fewer trees.
Between 2014 and 2022, Ecology Ottawa gave away more than 60,000 tree seedlings across the city. And with data now available through the City of Ottawa’s Neighbourhood Equity Index, the group has focused on increasing tree canopy in low-canopy and equity-deserving neighbourhoods.
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New this spring, Ecology Ottawa has also launched a complementary program, Trees for Today, to give away larger saplings in partnership with community associations in equity-deserving neighbourhoods.
Under Trees for Today, the plan is to distribute 645 saplings across six different priority neighbourhoods over the spring and fall seasons. The group reports that community response has been enthusiastic, with strong turnout and growing demand for both seedlings and larger saplings.
Ecology Ottawa’s giveaway program distributes exclusively native species — trees and shrubs that evolved in this region and are naturally adapted to Ottawa’s climate, soils and wildlife.
Recent giveaways have included white pine, red pine, bur oak, black walnut, white birch, silver maple, red maple, white spruce and tamarack — species that evolved here and support local insect populations, including pollinators, which in turn sustain birds and other wildlife in ways ornamental non-native plantings simply cannot.
According to Credit Valley Conservation, trees can help reduce city core temperatures by up to 11°C. By shading asphalt and concrete surfaces, they reduce surface heat absorption while releasing water vapour from leaves, which in turn cools the surrounding area.
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Trees keep buildings cooler as well, which can translate into lower energy consumption for offices and homes running air conditioning. And there’s a direct health benefit: increased tree canopy can significantly reduce heat-related illnesses, cut hospitalizations and reduce overall demand for ambulatory services.
A key takeaway from these giveaway programs is that they have become an invaluable source of community connection, with municipalities, not-for-profit organizations and residents working hand in hand toward re-greening our cities, strengthening biodiversity and making them more resilient in the face of a changing climate.
One tree at a time, they’re growing something much bigger than a canopy.
To learn more about the timing of these tree giveaways, Ottawa residents are encouraged to visit the Ecology Ottawa events calendar at www.ecologyottawa.ca/events.
Mark Wessel lives in Ridgeway, Ont. and is a passionate advocate for living more sustainable at home and in the greater community. Visit www.markdouglaswessel.com.
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