Welcome to the Ontario Heritage Tree Alliance

OHTA Project Background

By Fran Moscall, OHTA Project Coordinator

Consider seven generations in the future. Aboriginal elders teach us that whatever major decisions we make, we must do so keeping in mind the wellbeing of our offspring seven generations hence. The Ontario Heritage Tree Alliance (OHTA) is working to ensure that our urban forests are protected now so that future generations can enjoy what will become their heritage trees.

Currently, what explicit provincial and municipal protection are afforded heritage trees in Ontario? None, so far. Building on the work of individuals and groups, the OHTA has developed a toolkit for use by local communities to identify trees they deem to be worthy of heritage designation. Among the items that appear in the toolkit are nomination and evaluation forms; model tree protection bylaw templates; examples of tree hunts; examples of heritage trees that have been designated and the means of doing so without official protection; resource materials and personnel; tree profiles etc.

We have adopted the following definition: "a heritage tree is an outstanding specimen because of its size, form, shape, age, colour, rarity, genetic constitution or other distinctive community landmark; a specimen associated with an historic person, place, event or period; representative of a crop grown by ancestors and their successors that is at risk of disappearing from cultivation; a specimen recognized by members of a community as deserving heritage recognition." (Courtesy of Paul Aird, Professor Emeritus, Faculty of Forestry, University of Toronto).

Toolkit components have been tested in three sites namely, Simcoe County, Elora and Thunder Bay.

Phase II will include the launch of the toolkit. Another component is the development of a database for storage and retrieval of heritage trees' designations and tree protection bylaws. Other dissemination strategies will be developed as well.

What is unique about this venture is the collaboration between heritage groups and those involved in urban forest protection. Because the Ontario Ministry of Culture saw the importance of this collborative work, it awarded the OHTA a grant for Phase I of the project in January 2005.

The OHTA is sponsored by the Ontario Urban Forest Council and Community Heritage Ontario.