Donald Teuma-Castelletti
CAMPBELL’S BAY June 1, 2018
Residents across the Pontiac had the chance to spruce up their property with a variety of saplings on Friday, at an annual distribution event.
With the choice of nine native species to the area, the MRC Pontiac had a total of 4,200 trees to share with the public, at both their main office and six municipal offices.
While 1,000 trees were distributed from the MRC office in Campbell’s Bay, the rest were shared with the offices of Alleyn et Cawood, Allumettes Island, Clarendon, Mansfield et Pontefract, Otter Lake and Sheenboro, as well as some local schools.
Distribution at the Allumettes Island and Mansfield et Pontefract locations are both new for this year.
Earlier, students at schools and daycares had the opportunity to order their saplings, which were then delivered last week. As well, some students at Dr. Wilbert Keon School in Chapeau have taken on a big project, as they continue to work towards revitalizing the previous site of the Chichester dump.
“They always take a few hundred trees and the kids go out for a few hours [on June 1] when they’ll plant them,” said Kari Richardson, one of the environment coordinators for the MRC Pontiac.
She also shared that the Municipality of Thorne will receive 100 trees, which they will save to distribute on Canada Day.
On-site first thing that morning at the main distribution location were Richardson, fellow environment coordinator Thierry Raimbault and regional inspector for the T.N.O. and watercourse, Richard Marenger. Well-stocked and serving the early birds, the group distributed saplings of Red Pine, Black Walnut, Sugar Maple, Yellow Birch, White Spruce, Black Cherry, White Pine, Red Oak and Bur Oak.
New for this year, the group were proud to share, was that the trees would be given out in paper bags, in an effort to be more environmentally friendly. Previously, the trees had been distributed in plastic bags.
Joining the MRC employees at the event would be a few local organizations, like Carrefour Jeunesse and Sortir du Bois. Funds raised from a barbeque lunch would be donated to Bouffe Pontiac.
This was the 19th year of tree distribution by the MRC Pontiac. The trees are provided by the Ministry of Forests, Wildlife and Parks.
