2020 Annual Stewardship Report

Tree Planting

Tree seedlings and large stock trees are available for planting on your property through the Lower Thames Valley Conservation Authority’s (LTVCA’s) tree planting program.

The deadline to place tree orders is March 1, however to ensure your species numbers and selection, order your trees now and ensure payment to secure your order.   There is a minimum order of 10 seedlings per species.  All seedlings are sold with no warranty.  Use our online order form here Tree Species Price List.

The LTVCA has a variety of trees for rural landowners. Funding is available for tree planting projects over 1 acre in size.  Please inquire.   Email Greg Van Every – Environmental Project Coordinator, Amanda Blain – Land Stewardship Technician (Western District) and Peter Moddle – Land Stewardship Technician (Eastern District) to find out if you qualify.

In a given year, the LTVCA is responsible for planting as many as 140,000 trees within their jurisdiction. Neighbouring Conservation Authorities supply trees to landowners in municipalities beyond the watersheds of the Lower Thames Valley and region.

Tree Species Price List

Choose the Right Tree

Tree and Shrub Fact Sheet

Tree Planters for Rent

Site Preparation and Tending

Project Timeline

Landowners Guide to Tree Hand-Planting

Agreement for Landowners

General Information

Landowners who own property within the Lower Thames Valley watershed are eligible to purchase tree seedlings to be planted by the landowners or by the LTVCA staff. Various native Carolinian species, conifers, deciduous, and wildlife shrubs are listed. The deadline for placing orders is March 15th.

• All tree species must be ordered in multiples of ten (10, 20, 100 etc.)
• Availability – If species become un-available from the nurseries then substitutions of similar size and price will be offered.
• Warranty – There is NO warranty on seedlings purchased through this program.
• For larger orders a tree-planting machine is available for renting at a cost of $100.00 per day (plus taxes) for trees supplied by the Conservation Authority.
• Planting by LTVCA staff – On approval, larger projects may be planted by LTVCA staff at a cost of $1.00 by machine or $1.50 by shovel per tree.
• Preparation and maintenance – It cannot be stressed enough that preparation and maintenance of the land is extremely important. Site preparation should commence in the Fall prior to the Spring planting. Rototilling, pre-emergent, and glyphosate treatment is recommended. The first three years are key to successful tree seedling survival. Space the trees 7.5′ x 7.5′ to allow ongoing maintenance until the trees have grown high enough to be able to compete against weeds and grass.

Technical information is available at all times. We anticipate that various funding programs will be available. For updated funding program information and to find out which programs would apply to the area you are in, please call the LTVCA Administration Office in Chatham, 519-354-7310, and speak with either Amanda Blain (ext 234) or Greg Van Every (ext 229).

• Make sure that when selecting tree species for your property that you pick trees that are adaptable to your soil types.
• We are emphasizing the purchase of native trees only. These have proven to be much more adaptable to the conditions found in this area. The LTVCA watershed is in the Carolinian zone and as such has a diverse selection of trees some of which are becoming endangered .

Trees usually arrive from the nurseries around late-April over a two-day period. However, if some of the nurseries experience bad weather two days can become two weeks. Therefore it is very important that trees are picked up for planting as soon as they arrive. When trees arrive for the Western part of the watershed, you will be contacted for pick up information and cooler location. Trees ordered from the Eastern part of our watershed can be picked up from Longwoods Road Conservation Area.

Tree Planting Do’s and Don’ts

• Do plant the trees as soon as possible after picking them up.
• Don’t store trees for more than two days and only in a cool, dry area.
• Don’t soak trees in water as this drowns the trees.
• Do spray or mist trees if they look like they are drying out.
• Do keep the trees in bags and in shade where ever possible when planting.
• Do eliminate air pockets by tamping the soil down around the tree, preferably with your heel, after planting.
• Don’t lay the trees out and then go back to plant later.
• Don’t transport the trees in an open truck or vehicle; keep covered to prevent windburn and /or extreme temperatures.

Lower Thames Valley Conservation Foundation Memorial Forest Program

The Lower Thames Valley Conservation Foundation offers a Memorial Forest Program across the Lower Thames watershed.