Headline News

New Tecumseth to expand urban forest with federal support

August 28, 2025   ·   0 Comments

By Brian Lockhart

The Town of New Tecumseth is ready to enhance its natural landscape thanks to new funding from the Government of Canada and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ Green Municipal Fund (GMF).

Through GMF’s Growing Canada’s Community Canopies initiative, the Town will receive nearly $1.5 million to strengthen green infrastructure and promote environmental sustainability across the community.

This investment is part of a larger $16.9 million national commitment to grow greener communities and improve well-being through strategic tree planting projects.

“The support from our federal partners and FCM empowers us to move forward on a vision for a greener, more connected future,” said Town of New Tecumseth Mayor Richard Norcross. “These forests will be more than trees—they’ll be places to gather, grow, and thrive.”

The New Tecumseth project will focus on increasing tree canopy coverage and building climate resilience by planting microforests with native species to create thriving wildlife habitats.

It will also create food forests to support local food security and encourage community participation, and create enhancements through watering, mulching, and street plantings to enrich public spaces and improve canopy equity.

These efforts will advance the Town’s long-term goal of growing canopy coverage from 21 per cent to 30 per cent, while promoting biodiversity, shade, and environmental health.

Funding for these projects is being provided by the Government of Canada’s 2 Billion Trees Program and delivered through FCM’s Growing Canada’s Community Canopies (GCCC) initiative. Announced in May 2024, GCCC will support the planting of at least 1.2 million new trees across Canada by the end of March 2031 while offering funding, resources and coaching to communities. Communities looking to expand their tree canopies can apply for funding until September 18, 2025. 

Tree planting funding will accept applications until September 18, 2025, for the 2026 planting season to support communities in expanding their canopies. 

Readers Comments (0)