City staff hold nature-focused talks and tours for students, community groups and interested citizens. Drop into a scheduled event or request to have staff come out to your local park or school. Our talks and tours explore:
- Toronto’s urban forest
- local ecology and habitats
- species identification
All programs are free and available year-round (subject to availability).
Attend a Public Event
Join City of Toronto staff for free, public educational talks, tours and webinars highlighting the urban forest. Check our calendar of events for dates and locations.
Events Requiring Registration
For events that require registration, only those who have signed up will be allowed to participate. Drop-ins will not be accommodated. Events may be removed from the calendar of events once fully booked.
Other Events
Individuals and small groups – four or fewer people – do not need to register and can drop in.
Groups of five or more people must register in advance. Email greentoronto@toronto.ca to register your group and include the following information:
- Your Name
- Which event(s) from the online calendar you would like to participate in
- The number of participants. Some events have limited capacity for large groups
Accessibility
Event site conditions vary.
Contact greentoronto@toronto.ca for information on site conditions including accessibility. If you would like to request accessibility support, contact us as soon as possible.
Request a Talk
The City of Toronto offers the following for community, corporate, and school groups:
- virtual presentations (City of Toronto hosts over WebEx)
- in-person presentations (Host to secure location for presentation, which is equipped with a projector screen/blank wall and projector)
Presentations are:
- hands-off and do not involve planting or stewardship activities
- 60 minutes in total (45 to 50 minute presentation, 10 to 15 minute question and answer period)
- suitable for group sizes between 15 and 35 people
Note for school groups:
- information can be geared towards students from grades four to 12
- programming is intended for one class at a time, with 15 to 35 students
- teachers must be in attendance during programming
Presentation Topics Available
What Grows Around Here?
All about the urban forest – terminology, species composition, species migration, managing environments and student engagement in the urban forest.
Who lives around here?
All about urban habitats – terminology, habitat types and adaptations, threats to urban habitats and student engagement in habitat protection and enhancement.
Be-Leaf It or Not
A fun and educational game show. Two teams compete to answer questions about Toronto’s natural environment in the categories of plants, insects and arachnids, what’s in the water, mammals and flying in the sky.
To Request a Talk
We require a minimum of six weeks to review and plan for a presentation. Acceptance will be based on availability.
Email greentoronto@toronto.ca with Forestry Talk Request in the subject line. Please include the following information in your email:
- Your name and number
- Community, corporate group, or school name
- Presentation topic you want (Please select one)
- Type of presentation: virtual or in-person presentation. If in-person, the venue/school information (address, room number etc.)
- Group size. If you’re a school group, please also indicate the grade
- Three or more preferred weekday dates and times. Talks are not delivered on weekends
- If there is any additional information (e.g. accessibility needs) you’d like us to know
Request a Tour
The City of Toronto offers the following for community, corporate, and school groups:
Tours are:
- hands-off and do not involve planting or stewardship activities
- 90 minutes long for community or corporate groups, and 60 minutes long for school groups
- suitable for group sizes between 15 and 35 people. Those under 14 years old must be accompanied by a caregiver
- in City parks or ravines. They will aim to start and end at the same location
Note for school groups:
- information can be geared towards students from grades four to 12
- programming is intended for one class at a time, with 15 to 35 students
- teachers must be in attendance during programming
Tour Topics Available
Native, Non-Native, and Invasive species
- Unpack terminology, learn how to identify species and understand the relationship that species have with one another in the urban forest.
Benefits of the Urban Forest
- Learn about the range of benefits and services that the urban forest provides for us.
To Request a Tour
We require a minimum of six weeks to review and plan for a tour. Acceptance will be based on availability.
Email greentoronto@toronto.ca with ‘Forestry Tour Request’ in the subject line. Please include the following information in your email:
- Your name and number
- Community, corporate group, or school name
- Tour topic you want (Please select one)
- Location of the tour (City park or ravine). Please indicate closest street intersection for meeting point of large parks
- Group size. If you’re a school group, please also indicate the grade
- Three or more preferred weekday dates and times. Talks are not delivered on weekends
- If there is any additional information (e.g. accessibility needs) you’d like us to know.
