Our local Lions Clubs are leaving a legacy behind.
This National Forest Week, Lions Clubs around Norfolk County are celebrating the conclusion of their centennial project.
Together with the Nature Conservancy of Canada, these groups planted 10,000 trees near Port Rowan, on NCC conservation properties surrounding Backus Woods, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Lions Club International.
The District A-2 Lions Clubs from Tillsonburg, St. David’s and Simcoe have spent the last decade raising money and volunteer power to buy and plant these seedlings, ultimately helping to plant over 30,000 trees and restore 51 hectares (126 acres) of habitat in Norfolk County.
By expanding the forests surrounding Backus Woods by 51 hectares (126 acres), the Lions Clubs and NCC are helping relieve the pressure put on the plants and animals that live in the region.
The seedlings planted between 2012 and today will form a young forest in 50 years and will mature to match the stature of the trees around them within the next century.