The Forest City needs more trees so a non-profit is building a community nursery

A local non-profit organization that works to uphold London's reputation as the Forest City is breaking ground this summer on the first-ever community tree nursery and seed hub.  

The ReForest London project will see space for thousands more seedlings in a new greenhouse on the historic Westminister Ponds property, located near Wellington and Commissioners Roads. 

Work to prepare the site will begin later in May, organizers with ReForest London said Friday, to have it ready for use in the fall.

"The supply chain for trees is dwindling very fast. We can't get enough trees grown for the amount that we need to plant," said Shaquille Sealy, co-executive director at ReForest London. 

London currently has a 27 per cent tree cover but the goal, according to municipal officials, is to grow that to a 38 per cent canopy cover by 2065. 

"What the community tree nursery does is allow London to grow a local supply stock for the community, by the community, with the community," Sealy said.

ReForest London, which works to naturalize urban areas and to educate people about sustainability, recently received $240,000 from the city to put toward running the new nursery when it opens to the public in early 2025. 

"We are very encouraged," said co-executive director Rodger Moran. "This kind of funding from the city, this kind of commitment to sustainability, to trees, is really encouraging. We have all the faith that we'll get to where we're going."

The group already runs a volunteer-based seed hub collecting native seeds and encouraging donations but it's grown out of the current greenhouse, which only has room for about 500 seedlings.

Moran estimates the new greenhouse will be able to house 10,000 seedlings and will allow for more contributions from Londoners.

"Community members who have trees in their yard or businesses that begin to seed will be able to collect those seeds and donate them to Reforest London," Sealy said. "From there, we work with school and community groups to plant those seeds. We stratify them, we plant them and then we actually will care for them in the nursery and grow those trees up."

Once the trees reach a certain size, they're either replanted in parks or other public spaces, or else they find their way back to Londoners through one of ReForest London's tree giveaways.