Join the Long Branch Neighbourhood Association (LBNA) for the 2025 Tree for Free Event and claim one of 12 native trees or shrubs to revolutionize our community!
🌿 These local heroes soak up 22 kg of carbon dioxide yearly, cool streets by 5°C, and create havens for birds and bees, boosting biodiversity. Thriving in Toronto’s climate, they save water, skip chemicals, and demand little care. They lift property values, spark joy, and unite neighbors, while honoring Indigenous land stewardship, weaving us into our region’s vibrant history.
One tree or shrub can purify air, shield our shoreline, and inspire a greener tomorrow!
Event Details:
Date: Saturday, May 31, 2025
Time: 9:30 AM–11:45 AM (walk-ups at 11:45 AM, limited supply)
Last year, hundreds of natives reshaped Long Branch—let’s make 2025 our greenest yet! Don’t miss this chance to plant a legacy and fuel our climate-resilient future.
https://lbna.ca/wp-content/uploads/TFF-Poster-Sept-17-2022.jpg922922Monique Sewornu/wp-content/uploads/LBNA_Logo_2in.svgMonique Sewornu2025-05-07 09:58:502025-05-07 14:07:45🌳 2025 Tree for Free Event: Transform Long Branch with Native Roots! 🌿
The Long Branch Neighbourhood Association (LBNA) is excited to announce the fourth annual Long Branch TreeFest. This free, annual event at the beautiful Marie Curtis Park brings together the community, in a fun celebration of nature and trees. Enjoy live music by local artists. Sign up for eye-opening nature and history walks. With fun activities and over 40 exhibitors and vendors, there is lots to do for the entire family.
Get warmed up for some great tree walks, back by popular demand. Take off on guided Tree Identification Walks by the super knowledgeable Sylvia Jorge, a Masters in Forest Conservation graduate from the University of Toronto. Set out with CCFEW Brian Bailey on his guided Nature Walks and gain from his valuable insights and experience. Is history your passion? Join Ken O’Brien on his amazing Guided Hurricane Walks.
There will be entertainment for both young and old and our vendors tend to specialize in crafts.
The LBNA’s Tree for Free event returns on Saturday, September 17th at Colonel Samuel Smith Park.
We’ll be distributing free trees to Toronto residents between 10 am and 12:30 pm.
Trees need to be ordered in advance, and you can do so up to Wednesday, September 14th.
To participate, click here to be taken to our shop page, where you can select the species you’d like. All are native trees, so are well suited to our growing conditions.
Quantities are limited, so don’t delay placing your order. Because the funding for this program comes from the City of Toronto, it is limited to residents of Toronto and all trees must be planted on private property within the City of Toronto.
https://lbna.ca/wp-content/uploads/TFF-Poster-Sept-17-2022.jpg922922Ronald Jamieson/wp-content/uploads/LBNA_Logo_2in.svgRonald Jamieson2022-08-31 18:06:422022-11-15 10:57:24Tree for Free is Back!
On Tuesday, May 31sr, the LBNA deputed to the City’s Planning and Housing Committee on environmental policies proposed for Official Plan Amendment 583 (OPA 583), regarding stronger protections for permeable landscaping and mature trees.
Our deputation can be heard in the video below
Below is the text of our letter to the Committee.
To learn more about the City’s review of the Official Plan, click here.
CBC News ran a story on June 2nd about the initiative to try to save the “Black Barn Maple” in western Long Branch.
The Backstory
Courtesy Robert Krbavac, CBC
The tree is located to the rear of the house at 95 James Street and is a Silver Maple reputedly 130 to 150 years old. The site where it is located is close to where the Eastwood family, who were instrumental in developing Long Branch as a village, had a black barn on their estate, hence its name.
The owner of the property originally applied to City Planning in May of 2018 to add a second story to the existing house and build a newer, larger home. At the time of application, the owners indicated the property was not subject to the Private Tree Bylaw, which protects trees 30 cm and greater in diameter.
The application was approved on September 20, 2019 by the Committee of Adjustment despite a August 21, 2018 memo from Urban Forestry advising there were two healthy mature trees on the property and recommending refusal of the application.
The Fallout
The approval was subsequently appealed by neighbours to the Toronto Local Appeal Body (TLAB).
The CBC News story examines the controversy about residents’ efforts to try to retain the Silver Maple.
The LBNA sought to have the Black Barn Maple, given its age, Heritage Tree status that would ensure it could not be cut down. However, this would require the consent of the property owner, who of course refused. A letter from one of the applicant’s lawyers disputed the age and historic significance of the tree.
Counsel representing the applicant at TLAB argued that the tree was located in an area in which the owner had a right to be able to cut down the tree. Their argument was based on a concept that is not defined in pertinent legislation such as The Planning Act, The Official Plan or the Bylaws.
An ad hoc group of Long Branch residents banded together to try to raise awareness about the tree and the issues surrounding its proposed removal. They have created a website, lawn signs and letter-writing campaigns.
To see the story in the CBC’s website, click here.
https://lbna.ca/wp-content/uploads/Black-Barn-Lawn-Sign.jpg384504Ronald Jamieson/wp-content/uploads/LBNA_Logo_2in.svgRonald Jamieson2021-06-06 13:45:282021-06-06 13:45:33Black Barn Maple on CBC News
Over the course of a 12-day hearing, the TLAB heard evidence from the Applicant, the City and Long Branch residents about a proposal to sever 80 Thirty Ninth Street into two 7.62 meter (25-foot) lots and to construct two oversized homes.
The hearing was chaired by TLAB member Stanley Makuch and was conducted through a mix of in-person and virtual sessions, the latter being required due to COVID-19 measures.
Mr. Makuch’s 10-page decision to refuse the application to sever the property at 80 Thirty Ninth was based on the scale of the homes relative to the proposed lot sizes and preservation of trees that exist on the property and along the property line on the south side of the property.
He states the ”… frontages do not maintain the intent of policy 4.5.1 of the Official Plan” and, combined with the scale of the proposed homes, ”… will give the appearance of an overdevelopment of the lots.”
He further states that it was ”… clear that no attempt was made to design the development in a manner to preserve and enhance the urban forest in a neighbourhood where the forest and canopy are part of its character.”
He had high praise for all parties involved in the hearing, including the LBNA, who formally represented the residents during the hearing.
To read the full text of the decision, click here.
