Port Rowan, Nov. 23, 2010 – Nearly 1,000 new Carolinian trees and more than 1,500 native shrubs will be planted along the Long Point Causeway next year thanks to $9,965 in funding from the TD Friends of the Environment Foundation. The tree and shrub planting will be carried out by the Long Point Causeway Improvement Project (LPCIP) in cooperation with Norfolk County’s Forestry Department.

“These will be the first new trees and shrubs to be planted along the Causeway in many, many years,” said Paula Jongerden, chair of the LPCIP’s steering committee. “While we’re committed to preserving the existing trees, it’s essential that we begin planting trees now to enhance the Causeway’s natural environment for the future.”

The existing willows and poplars are all that remains of an avenue of trees that lined the entire length of the Causeway back in the 1940s and 1950s. Windstorms, floods and old age have taken their toll and many of the remaining trees are approaching the end of their natural lives. A survey last fall by the County forestry staff found that at least 18 trees will have to be cut down because they are dead, damaged or pose a public safety risk.

“We consulted with the St. Williams Nursery and Ecology Centre about what species of native Carolinian trees and shrubs would thrive in the Causeway environment,” said Jongerden. Among the suggested tree species are Bur Oak, Paper Birch, White Cedar, Eastern Cottonwood, Hackberry, Swamp Maple, and Peach-leaved Willow. The native shrubs could include Silky Dogwood, Pussy Willow, Chokecherry and Ninebark.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the TD Friends of the Environment Foundation (TD FEF), a national organization formed by TD Bank Financial Group that funds local projects dedicated to preserving the environment. TD FEF has provided more than $53 million in support to more than 19,000 grassroots environmental projects like the Long Point Causeway Tree Planting Project.

The Long Point Causeway Improvement Project is managed by Steering Committee comprised of representatives from 16 government agencies and local organizations and several individuals well-known in the community. The LPCIP receives financial and administrative support from the Long Point World Biosphere Reserve Foundation, which promotes research, monitoring, education and projects that support the goals of conservation and sustainable use in the Biosphere Reserve.