Tree planting

What we fund

GMF’s Growing Canada’s Community Canopies (GCCC) initiative funds planting the right type of trees in the right places so that communities across Canada can grow, manage and protect their tree canopies.

When communities plant trees they benefit from carbon sequestration, enhanced biodiversity, and better climate resilience and well-being.  

To qualify for tree planting funding, your project must contribute to the planting of new trees with municipal government involvement and accountability. 

As tree planting benefits communities in diverse ways, projects with planting that supports environmental, economic and social objectives will be more likely to receive funding.

To meet your local needs, GMF will fund a combination of tree planting, including: 

• Community-wide urban planting
• Forest restoration in naturalized areas
• Localized planting projects

Eligibility requirements 

Eligible costs

Eligible costs are direct costs that are approved for funding, properly and reasonably incurred, and paid by the applicant to carry out eligible activities. Eligible costs can only be incurred from the date the full application is submitted until the date final reporting is submitted.

Eligible activities

Funding for tree planting projects has been designed to support communities in making permanent additions to their forests.  

This funding aims to maximize the benefits of urban forestry through strategic tree-planting activities. That’s why we emphasize planting the right trees in the right areas—the trees are more likely to survive, and your project is more likely to meet its objectives. 

GCCC supports a variety of tree planting activities such as: 

• Street tree planting, which is the thoughtful placement of trees along public streets, enhancing aesthetics, providing shade, improving air quality and reducing noise
• Urban planting in areas with low canopy cover, which lowers temperatures to lessen the urban heat island effect
• Park tree planting, which focuses on establishing new groves and revitalizing existing tree stands in public parks, keeping green spaces healthy and biodiverse
• Riparian planting in flood-prone areas, which can increase the infiltration and stability of soils
• Forest restoration and reforestation, which can rehabilitate areas that have experienced die-offs caused by pests or wildfires  

We emphasize diversifying tree species because it increases biodiversity, resilience and ecological sustainability.  

Community engagement is a key priority. We award evaluation points to projects that demonstrate inclusive engagement, fostering a sense of ownership and understanding of the vital roles that trees play in urban environments.  

Through these targeted tree planting activities, we seek to fund thriving, resilient community canopies that make municipalities across Canada more livable. 

Eligible sites

GCCC does not provide funding for tree planting projects on federally owned land. If you are interested in planting on federal land, please contact the Government of Canada’s 2 Billion Trees program.

For the following municipalities, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Toronto, Montreal east, Joliette (residential), Vaudreuil-Dorion, Sudbury, Gatineau and Niagara; funding may already be available to you, to confirm please contact the Government of Canada's 2 Billion Trees program.

Natural Resources Canada has a dedicated stream for Indigenous communities, you will find several pieces of information in the applicant guide: 2BT Indigenous funding stream applicant guide.

What your project needs to achieve 

Forestry requirements

Applications for tree planting funding should demonstrate the following: 

• How the project is supported by municipal or regional policies, plans, programs and/or guidelines (e.g., urban forest management plans, urban forest, best management practices, tree protection bylaws, urban master plans, and/or other laws or policies [e.g., street scape]) dealing with canopy cover
• A planting plan that includes site selection, site analysis, tree selection, planting design, planting techniques and soil-preparation techniques  
• Engagement with professionals (e.g., registered forestry professionals, arborists, ecologists, biologists, etc.) during project planning
• Inputs have been secured, or plans have been made to secure these inputs (i.e., tree stock availability, connection with nurseries, land/labour, project partners)
• Community engagement where the project is taking place 

Applicants must submit a planting plan demonstrating knowledge of site conditions (or plans to assess them) and showing that they are selecting the best tree species for the site(s) to fulfil the project’s objectives. A forestry professional must prepare or review this document.  

Maintenance plan

Applicants must describe a maintenance plan detailing how they will care for trees after planting. A monitoring and management plan must also be described, providing details about ongoing efforts to monitor tree health/survival and addressing tree mortality. 

Site location

We prefer projects planted on civic lands because they are more likely to be permanent. However, we will accept applications for planting on non-municipal lands where the lead applicant is accountable for ongoing tree maintenance and survivability during the first year.

Letters of support from landowners, including an acknowledgement of long-term tree ownership and responsibility, will be required for all planting sites on non-municipal land. 

Council support

All projects, regardless of the lead applicant or planting location, will require a resolution or letter of support from the council of the municipality in whose jurisdiction the planting is to occur.

Survivability

We’ve designed tree planting funding submission requirements and evaluation processes to increase tree survival rates. Applicants will need to describe their approach to tree mortality and replanting and describe their plan for maintaining the trees over the long-term. There will be a 10% hold-back (up to $100,000) for a maintenance and monitoring report that will need to be submitted one year after the planting is completed and will include tree survival rates. Project sites may also be audited to assess project success. 

Required documents

To apply for GMF funding, you must submit:

• a pre-application form
• an application form  
• a project workbook  
• a detailed planting plan (See our Tree planting plan template for guidance)  
• all required supporting documents specified in the application guide.

A GMF project officer will be your point of contact throughout the process. They will review your file and provide feedback. You may be asked to revisit some steps to help you submit a complete and high-quality application.