York Region to host festival in honour of National Forest Week

By David Yin, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

York Region will kick off National Forest Week with a family-friendly festival at Hollidge Tract Accessible Trail in Stouffville on Sept. 20, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The celebration leads into National Forest Week, which takes place from Sept. 21 to 27.

The free, all-ages festival will feature guided hikes, tours of the Bill Fisch Forest Stewardship and Education Centre, wagon rides, arts and crafts, face painting, and a free Beaver Tail for every attendee.

Kyle Heeley, regional greening coordinator at York Region, explained a few benefits of preserving local forests. He said that forests filter the Earth’s air and water, reduce extreme weather events – such as flooding, and help people exercise their physical and mental health.

“Our forest – the regional forest – has been around for 100 years, and we just want to continue to protect that for future generations as well,” he said.

Residents can take part in other activities to honour National Forest Week. Heeley listed tree planting, hiking, bird watching, and bike riding as potential options.

Additionally, the Canadian Institute of Forestry provides free toolkits on its website, which include a list of activities for all ages.

National Forest Week was established around 1920 as Forest Fire Prevention Week. At the time, the biggest threat to forests was manmade forest fires.

Forest Fire Prevention Week was later renamed to National Forest Week in 1967 to better represent a broader range of forest preservation issues.

For more event details, including location and parking options, visit york.ca/ForestEvents

Photo: A York Region employee informs two kids about the National Forest Week Festival at a festival booth. (York Region supplied photo)