Arbre-Évolution’s socio-arboriculturists, along with corporate partners, the Rosemère public works team and dozens of Rosemère volunteers, took part in a large-scale community planting operation: 1200 trees and shrubs on six parcels of land throughout Rosemère.
Rivière aux Chiens back in the green
For the past 7 years, the Arbre-Évolution solidarity cooperative has been piloting the social reforestation program, whose objective is to plant trees in living environments in order to bring residents together and protect ecosystems. The City of Rosemère got a $10,400 grant as part of this program, in addition to the help of volunteers for planting the trees.
“As soon as we put out the call to Rosemerites on our communication platforms to volunteer for this large-scale planting operation, many of them hastened to favourably respond, in just a few days’ time! I’m so proud to be part of this tightly-knit community that is very involved in protecting the environment. These planting operations are a strong, concrete gesture for the enrichment of our urban forest and for improving the quality of life of all our residents,” said Rosemère Mayor Eric Westram.
“Rosemère submitted a request to us this winter and it was clear that we could meet their greening needs, while creating a positive impact for the City’s residents and their environment,” stated Julien Hamelin-Lalonde, project manager for Arbre-Évolution. Among these needs are those of the Rivière aux Chiens and its banks, which have been significantly affected by the loss of ash trees ravaged by emerald ash borers. “The ash tree problem is causing us many headaches. We appreciate being able to team up with Arbre-Évolution and its program to remedy the situation and improve other spaces in Rosemère,” explained Caroline Roy, Urban Forestry and Horticulture Coordinator for the City of Rosemère.
The other revegetated green spaces that Mrs. Roy mentioned are those in the Des Bernaches Street, Cheminot woodland (Bourbonnière Park), Roland-Durand Boulevard and the Rosemère train station areas. Dozens of volunteers moreover lent a hand in these areas to take part in the planting operations. “Planting a tree is an act of faith in the future and a gesture of solidarity towards the younger generations. This is what the volunteers did with us!” added Hamelin-Lalonde.
Ateliers Jacob and three other partners providing support
If Arbre-Évolution was able to inject more than $10,000 into this project, it is thanks, in particular, to Ateliers Jacob, a company that specializes in high-end kitchen equipment. “We are striving to give back to the planet and make a positive gesture for communities. Arbre-Évolution and the social reforestation program seem to us to be an excellent way to do this!” mentioned Laurence Gaudreau, marketing director of this company.
In addition to Ateliers Jacob, the companies Actumus, Multicolore and Agence de voyage SolSya helped top up the project’s budget. “This is our first association with Arbre-Évolution. We are delighted to create a positive impact in Rosemère,” added Tristan Limoges, director of sales and marketing for Actumus, a health products developer. “From the moment we opened our travel agency, it was only natural to do our part for the environment, as we believe in responsible tourism. With the contributions of our clients and the same amount matched by SolSya, we are able to get involved in this renaturalization project in our community. We are very proud of this”, mentioned Sylvie Aquin, founder of Agence de voyage SolSya.
