2019 Achievements

• • ERCA planted almost 60,000 trees on public and private lands, creating an additional 13.5 hectares (35 acres) of new canopy and monitored 50 restoration sites showing 85% tree survival rates
• • Continued monitoring of Oak Wilt Disease
• • Represented our region on the Forest Gene Conservation Association Board of Directors which is creating a forest focused climate change adaptation plan for the Essex Region

2020 Actions

• • Work with municipalities to develop a report related to Habitat Compensation/Mitigation, and opportunities for implementation of Essex Region Natural Heritage System Strategy
• • Continue to target high priority restoration sites to help meet our goal of 12% natural area cover
• • Plant 28 hectares of new forest and plant 80,000 trees
• • Research and provide a report regarding carbon sequestration related to restoration efforts

2020 Pressures

• • Cuts to the 50 Million Tree Program may have led to a shortage of trees from nurseries across Ontario
• • Barriers to restoration makes it increasingly difficult to secure landowner projects, for instance, restoration of agricultural lands removes land from agriculture designation, resulting in higher taxes, makes it increasingly challenging to implement private landowner projects. Opportunity for municipalities to offset increased taxes through incentives or other tax benefits to support restoration efforts.
• • 2019 Spring season was significantly impacted by weather resulting in many projects being postponed or abandoned. Continued above average spring rain will have an impact on the number of projects ERCA is able to achieve each year.
• • Increasing changes (budget reductions or geographic priorities) to federal and provincial restoration grant opportunities is making it very challenging to match CW~GS restoration and acquisition leveraging opportunities.