Canopy for Community - Green Venture

Help Grow Hamilton's Urban Forest!

Working together with Hamilton youth and the community, we are GROWING our urban forest canopy.

Our urban forests – all the trees on our city streets, in parks, yards, fields, and green spaces, and along our ravines and escarpment – make our city a healthier and greener community!

Urban trees clean our air, improve water quality and support healthy soils
Urban trees increase property values, energy conservation, biodiversity, and improve our physical and mental health
Urban trees make our streets safer and city more livable – filtering out highway pollution, reducing temperatures on sidewalks, and encouraging neighbours to get together outside!

Here's how you can get involved!

Hamilton Tree Equity Project

Grow our urban canopy for all residents!

Green Venture is working with Trees for Hamilton, CityHousing Hamilton, City of Hamilton Forestry Department and the University of Toronto, Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design to compile a database of trees along with providing engagement and outreach to the community. The Hamilton Tree Equity Project aims to improve urban forest health and tree equitable distribution on CityHousing Hamilton properties.

Community members are encouraged to become tree stewards and help us increase the urban canopy to foster a healthy and thriving urban forest for all residents. To keep up to date on this project or get involved, follow along on our social media accounts, sign up for the monthly newsletter or drop us a message at trees@greenventure.ca.

Summer 2021 tree inventory has wrapped up. Check out this Tree Inventory Map here to see some preliminary results. Read the blog to see what our volunteers got up to! Check out our Tree Equity Project Summary Report to have a glimpse of our findings and recommendations, or check out our full report if you want to read more about it!

McMaster University SUSTAIN 3S03 course cohort in Fall 2021 collaborated with Green Venture staff on the Hamilton Tree Equity producing weekly #TreeTuesday posts. Read their full report.

In the News

Listen to Dr. Giuliana Casimirri on CMFU’s The Environmental Urbanist Podcast here.

Youth Stewardship and Professional Skills Program

Canopy for Community | Spring 2021

In Spring 2021, 14 students participated in a five-week course designed to teach fundamental professional skills resulting in two stewardship projects that will help to protect and grow Hamilton’s urban forest.

Learn more about this cohort and their projects

Educational Programs for Schools

Grow your mind with these programs

Attention teachers – there’s great opportunities at Green Venture to teach your students about urban forestry. Connect with our Education Team (education@greenventure.ca) to learn how you can plant forest lessons into your classroom.

Check out our educational offerings

Local Climate Action

Communi-TREE month long celebration of forests and people

Check out all the fun we had celebrating National Forest Week by making all of September about trees! In 2021, over 40 volunteers spent 80 hours caring for our urban forests through stewardship events and tree plantings. Trees in Hamilton are growing thanks to our community!

Learn more about local climate action

Tree ID Cards

Spruce up your tree ID skills

Want to learn how to ID your local tree species? Look no further! McMaster University SUSTAIN 3S03 course cohort in Fall 2021 collaborated with Green Venture staff to create these tree cards consisting of the top 10 native tree species in the Hamilton area.

Learn more on how to ID trees here

Tree Starting Kits

Growing our forest, one acorn at a time

Green Venture is happy to announce that Native Tree Growing Kits are now available in Hamilton as a project of Canopy for Community, thanks to the support of the Hamilton Community Foundation and the Canadian Tree Fund.

Learn more about these kits

Mini Forest Planting: Calling all Private Landowners

Growing Hamilton's urban forest one Mini Forest at a time.

Green Venture is looking for Hamilton locations and community partners with lands available (eg. institutions, businesses, corporate lands, etc.) to help plant our next Mini Forests!

Apply Here

Community Tree Plantings

The best time to plant a tree was yesterday

There are opportunities to join Green Venture at community tree plantings. Keep an eye out for upcoming planting days!

Mini Forests at Home Program

Innovative reforesting technique coming to a forest near you

Have you heard about the Miyawaki-inspired forests that are emerging across Hamilton? In partnership with Network of Nature, Green Venture is growing mini forests in Dundas. The Hamilton Mini Forest Project’s work (Mini Forest at Home Program) in Dundas is funded through the Dougher Foundation of the Hamilton Community Foundation with the support of the Conserver Society of Hamilton and District. If you want to learn more about Mini Forest at Home Program, head over to our new webpage to learn more!

Mini Forest at Home Webpage!

Learn: Youth Stewardship and Professional Skills Program
Canopy for Community | Spring 2021
In Spring 2021, 14 students participated in a five-week course designed to teach fundamental professional skills resulting in two stewardship projects that will help to protect and grow Hamilton’s urban forest.

Learn more about this cohort and their projects

Educational Programs for Schools
Grow your mind with these programs
Attention teachers – there’s great opportunities at Green Venture to teach your students about urban forestry. Connect with our Education Team (education@greenventure.ca) to learn how you can plant forest lessons into your classroom.

Check out our educational offerings

Local Climate Action
Communi-TREE month long celebration of forests and people
Check out all the fun we had celebrating National Forest Week by making all of September about trees! In 2021, over 40 volunteers spent 80 hours caring for our urban forests through stewardship events and tree plantings. Trees in Hamilton are growing thanks to our community!

Learn more about local climate action

Tree ID Cards
Spruce up your tree ID skills
Want to learn how to ID your local tree species? Look no further! McMaster University SUSTAIN 3S03 course cohort in Fall 2021 collaborated with Green Venture staff to create these tree cards consisting of the top 10 native tree species in the Hamilton area.

Learn more on how to ID trees here
Grow: Tree Starting Kits
Growing our forest, one acorn at a time
Green Venture is happy to announce that Native Tree Growing Kits are now available in Hamilton as a project of Canopy for Community, thanks to the support of the Hamilton Community Foundation and the Canadian Tree Fund.

Learn more about these kits
Plant: Mini Forest Planting: Calling all Private Landowners
Growing Hamilton's urban forest one Mini Forest at a time.
Green Venture is looking for Hamilton locations and community partners with lands available (eg. institutions, businesses, corporate lands, etc.) to help plant our next Mini Forests!

Apply Here

Community Tree Plantings
The best time to plant a tree was yesterday
There are opportunities to join Green Venture at community tree plantings. Keep an eye out for upcoming planting days!

Sign up for volunteer opportunities

Mini Forests at Home Program
Innovative reforesting technique coming to a forest near you
Have you heard about the Miyawaki-inspired forests that are emerging across Hamilton? In partnership with Network of Nature, Green Venture is growing mini forests in Dundas. The Hamilton Mini Forest Project’s work (Mini Forest at Home Program) in Dundas is funded through the Dougher Foundation of the Hamilton Community Foundation with the support of the Conserver Society of Hamilton and District. If you want to learn more about Mini Forest at Home Program, head over to our new webpage to learn more!

Mini Forest at Home Webpage!