West Nipissing parks could become a little more tree-lined, thanks to a recent proposal from councillor Kris Rivard.
Rivard noted that he and fellow councillor Kaitlynn Nicol have been thinking ways to add more trees to the municipality as a way to beautify communities. He asked council if there was any interest in getting the word out that people could donate trees to certain municipal parks and greenspaces.
Rivard detailed, “I’d ask staff to give us a list of parks, beaches, and other places where trees would be acceptable.” The idea is to give residents a chance to purchase a tree, say to commemorate their child or as a memorial for a passed loved one.
“It would be a way for us to see more trees within our public spaces,” Rivard added, “Without a big cost to the taxpayer, and it could beautify our area.”
Rivard noted the idea will require some administrative time, which is why he wanted to present the plan to council for feedback.
See: Memorialize your loved ones in a municipal park
The municipality’s current donation policy is open to residents requesting memorial trees, benches, and plaques, which will be priced out on an individual basis. Rivard would like the policy revised slightly, to add more to the tree section, including the names of acceptable spaces for these donations, as well as a list of trees that would do well in the areas.
Council was behind the idea, and staff will bring more information to an upcoming meeting to spur the discussion. Specifically, suitable tree species will be highlighted, advice from an arborist will be sought, especially regarding transplanting larger trees, and some leads as to where to source the trees from will be brought to the table.
Rivard noted, “The idea is to promote the tree donation program, to let people know about it, and provide a list of parks where they could be planted.”
David Briggs is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of BayToday, a publication of Village Media. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.
