OPERATIONAL PATHWAY: Thirteen Core Steps

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Our core programming exist within a series of steps of mutual support. We aim to:

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1. Host information sessions in communities:

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Explain our programs, promote ecological literacy, and invite individuals and groups to apply and donate for programs.

Step One is about early opt-in to our concepts in communities where we already have rapport.

 

 

2. Participate in outreach events:

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Set up booths and give presentations at winter and early-spring events across Canada to promote programs, build partnerships, and accept donations.

Step Two expands our reach for programs and donations into new communities—at which point we can return to Step One and host information sessions in these new places.

 

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3. Pursue grants and co-funding:

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Apply to governments, foundations, and other organizations for targeted projects in specific communities and regions.

Step Three helps us broaden our capacity beyond annual operating costs and core project initiatives; all other steps support this through visibility, impact, and fundraising.

 

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4. Conduct research wild, farm, and community plant biodiversity:

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Identify the most resilient and suitable varieties for different climates, soils, and urban/rural conditions, especially those that succeed with more passive, homeowner-friendly management.

Step Four builds on work begun through the Edible Biodiversity Conservation Area and is a core tenet in knowing which varieties to sponsor for community planting.

 

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5. Partner with nurseries to grow site-suitable varieties:

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Work with nursery partners to propagate and supply unique, climate-adapted varieties for our programs—finding and providing novel plant varieties from seeds and transplants.

Step Five not only ensures we have quality seeds and plants for community planting, but also nurtures new sources of novel varieties discovered in Step Four.

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6. Offer community tree sponsorships for individuals and neighbourhoods:

 

Provide a “low-hanging fruit” program that allows fast planting action and steward creation—especially in areas facing food-security challenges and under-served neighbourhoods, as well as communities with a strong ethic for larger landscape transitions through many small planted spots.

Step Six is the bread and butter of our community action—getting many name-tagged trees established in communities, drawing on all previous steps.

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7. Maintain and develop a living database of findings:

 

Track plant performance, community outcomes, and site data to guide future plantings and share knowledge with partners, identifying plantings with nameplates and an online database.

Step Seven creates a living record of the plants in communities—including those planted, found, and grown by nurseries in Steps Four, Five, and Six.

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8. Organize in-neighbourhood assistance events:

 

Support participants with tree planting and early-years care through local work bees and hands-on visits.

Step Eight builds on community planting success by offering practical help to those who have opted into our planting programs.

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9. Build a community of volunteers and local contractors:

 

Recruit, train, and coordinate volunteers, educators, and ecological contractors so we have the strongest possible outreach and on-the-ground presence in each community.

Step Nine is a natural scale-up in operations, both locally and across regions.

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10. Deliver mobile educational programs and workshops at schools:

 

Provide skill-building sessions on planting, pruning, biodiversity stewardship, and long term care to ensure planting success—through community workshops and other educational events, and by bringing this learning into neighbourhoods, schools, and public spaces.

Step Ten goes beyond information sessions and follow-up care workshops to create a culture of learning for the next generation of stewards—a distinct branch of our programs that we hope to grow over time.

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11. Install larger edible and educational sites:

 

Create demonstration landscapes in city parks, community gardens, school grounds, municipal greenspaces (such as boulevards and bikeways), and other under-used lands.

Step Eleven can occur alongside smaller community plantings or grow out of them; it represents maximizing funding for larger plantings that serve as educational sites and living biodiversity conservation areas, linked back to the original EBCA.

 

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12. Support the emergence of local stewardship groups:

 

Help the most successful sites, individuals, and community groups become key stewards—forming ongoing stewardship circles with enough momentum to continue transitioning their neighbourhoods over time.

Step Twelve carries all previous steps into the future by nurturing a local base that cares not only for the trees, but also for the knowledge and motivation to expand programs in their own ways.

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13. Create stewardship partnerships beyond our immediate regions:

 

Build relationships with individuals, community groups, and organizations—across Canada and around the world—who are already doing strong work in biodiversity conservation, community food security, and related fields. Where there is clear alignment with our mission and capacity, we will look for ways to highlight, learn from, and occasionally co-support their efforts through knowledge exchange and, when funding allows, targeted contributions to unique, high-impact initiatives.

Step Thirteen extends our learning and impact network outward, helping us share and amplify effective models of stewardship while staying grounded in our core programs at home.

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*These thirteen core steps are how we put this mission into practice in our initial phase. For now,the focus is on community tree planting and edible biodiversity conservation. Over time, this same framework will also support other forms of community-based biodiversity conservation and food security. This may include locally led projects and small-scale initiatives that go beyondtree planting. Where appropriate, it may also include collaborations with land trusts to help secure fragmented, biodiversity-significant sites in both urban and rural areas.