TD Tree Days repeats in Steinbach

Low temperatures, steady rain and wind gusts up to 65 km/h didn’t seem to dampen spirits as volunteers gathered next to the Steinbach landfill to plant trees on Oct. 5.

Part of TD Tree Days, this initiative saw local TD Bank employees, family members and others come together for the second consecutive year in Steinbach.

Last year’s crew planted trees at the Chris Goertzen Park.

Ken Fosty, a certified arborist and forestry specialist, coordinated the event, as he has with all TD Tree Days in Manitoba for the last 15 years.

He said they planted over 200 pine trees at the landfill, featuring a mix of Scots Pine and Red Pine, well suited for the sandy soil.

“At the request of Steinbach Parks and Rec, the plan here is to establish this forest because in the long term this landfill site will be decommissioned,” he said. “We’re getting a jump start on converting this to a park in the future.”

The Steinbach landfill is estimated to have about 35 years left of operation.

Fosty said this year’s TD Tree Days marks 15 years since the start of the program, which has seen more than 500,000 trees planted across Canada.

This year Manitoba projects include Steinbach, Portage, Brandon, Winnipeg, Headingley and Teulon.

Fosty said trees provide an abundance of benefits including shade, shelter, noise and dust reduction, aesthetic beauty, recreational benefits, wildlife habitat, watershed protection, soil stabilization, site screening and clean air.

“I’m proud to be involved with TD Tree Days,” he said. “Trees are important, make a positive impact and contribute to healthy neighbourhoods.”

Fosty said he’s always happy to come back to a site and see a forest in place, adding projects in this area are precious to him.

“I grew up in the Southeast, so this Steinbach area is dear to my heart,” he said.

TD Bank Steinbach branch manager Mallory Cabana was also on hand with her family.

She too has been a part of many projects across the country with her various postings at different branches.

“I think it’s a great way for us to be out in the community that we work in,” she said. “It’s something outside our regular day-to-day lives that we can bring our families to and get people from the community out and about, just to give back and do something good that’s going to be here 20, 30, 50 years down the road hopefully.”

“Just to know that we’re doing something for the future generations that they’ll be able to enjoy, I think that’s important,” she added.