Volunteers to plant 525 trees in single morning as Mississauga pushes toward one-million-tree goal

Mississauga residents will have a chance to pick up a shovel later this month as the city hosts a series of community tree-planting events aimed at growing its urban forest.

The City of Mississauga is partnering with TD for TD Tree Days, an annual volunteer planting program supported by TD Friends of the Environment Foundation. Three community planting events are set to begin Sept. 19, thanks to a grant from the bank, according to a City of Mississauga news release.

At the heart of the push, volunteers and TD representatives will plant 525 native trees and shrubs in a single morning, an effort the City describes as one of the largest TD Tree Days events in Ontario this year.

A decade-long count keeps growing

The events feed into Mississauga's One Million Trees program, launched in 2013. Since then, more than 650,000 trees have been planted across the city. Laid end to end, those trees would stretch roughly the distance from Mississauga to Vancouver, the City said.

The program's ultimate goal is to plant one million trees by 2032.

For local volunteers, the math is simple: the city needs roughly 350,000 more trees in the ground over the next six years to reach its target, and every sapling planted this fall counts toward that total.

Why it matters

The City points to a long list of benefits that come with a healthier urban forest. Trees provide shade, create habitat for birds and other wildlife, help reduce flooding and keep Mississauga greener and more attractive, the release said.

TD Tree Days works with local organizations and municipalities across the country to create opportunities for people to come together, spend time outdoors and contribute to local green spaces. Mississauga is one of the municipalities taking part this year.

The planting events are free to join. Residents looking to take part can find more information on the TD Tree Days website.

The City's media relations team can be reached by email at media@mississauga.ca for questions about the local events.

For Mississauga residents, the fall planting season offers a hands-on way to shape the city's canopy, one native tree at a time, while moving a 13-year-old environmental commitment closer to the finish line.