Vision

At St. Martin CSS in Mississauga over the last two years we have developed on school property a memorial woodlot that has been established in memory of all those students and staff who have passed away over the 56 years our school has been in existence.

Last year we planted 88 trees on school site using a grant from Trees Canada. This included multiple sugar bush trees, maples, white spruces, white oak and white pine trees.
Over the past year only 2 trees died and so this year using a grant from Learning for a Sustainable Future we were able to maintain, replace and add 17 trees that brought our total of trees to 105 that are all planted on our school property, and all seem to be thriving.

It is our hope, that in a blank open site at the front of our school we have developed a woodlot of 105 trees that will continue to grow. We hope that our woodlot will stand as a testament to the memory of our past students and staff who are no longer with us and that in the coming decades this woodlot created from virtually nothing will grow and foster for many decades to come.
We also hope that in 25-30 years from now there is a thriving woodlot on our school property and in that time students and staff will be able to approach the Sugar Maple trees and be able to extract sap from them as a form of practice and learning in future Science classes.

In the planting of the trees, we have also involved an Indigenous Elder who earlier this year assisted us with this endeavor. Elder Givens was able to talk to our school about the importance of our relationship with nature when he visited our school on September 27 which was also National Treaty Day and National Forest Day.

Action

We have planted a total of 105 trees. Dug the holes, provided the mix-soil and supported the trees with sticks and string to ensure that they survive the wind of an open field. The trees we have planted are Sugar Maples, Junipers, White Oak and White Pine trees. We also used grant money for triple mix soil, tree guards, string and support sticks because the area where we planted the trees gets strong winds and we wanted to support them as they grow.
May 1 we planted a total of 17 trees on school property this year with your grant and helped to maintain the other 88 trees.

We are teaching our students the importance of planting and growing trees on school property. How to plant them and then provide necessary nurture and care in order to sustain and develop them. We have documented species and except for 2 trees they are all native to our geographical area. Students have measured them and are also determining trunk size with and will continue to document and record their growth and progress. We are also undertaking a program in the winter to protect the trees from wildlife and again learn how to sustain their growth. In the past year 3 trees did die but we were able to replace them with a grant and then also support the trees planted with mix growth as well as tree protectors and hammer in support sticks and tied the trees with string so that they would withstand the wind.
In this endeavor we have reached out to our Indigenous Partners to develop this woodlot.

Reflection & Celebration

In this project we have been reflective and celebrated a number of achievements.
1. We have taken a total blank piece of land and developed a woodlot of 105 trees which are all native species
2. We have involved a Indigenous Elder in the planting of the trees and he has given us valuable insight into the Indigenous perspective and partnership with nature.
Elder Givens provided our school with a new prospective of our relationship with nature.
3. We have fostered a greater relationship with our Alumni group who have offered continued support in this project.
4. We have undertaken a multi-decade effort to create a woodlot which will oversee the growth and development of over 100 trees, and we hope that in 25-30 years we will have on school property a maturing woodlot and Sugar Maple trees that will produce sap for students and staff on school property.
5. We have an understanding of the relationship this woodlot will have with local wildlife, and we understand that we are both creating habitat for them in this woodlot but also at this formative stage need to protect the trees so that they grow and develop.
6. We have combined the Eco Mustangs group with the Student Council, Alumni, Staff, Black Student Alliance and the Mustang Missions. These are all groups that previously worked in isolation to one another. Now we have worked together all as one group to develop this woodlot project.

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