Supports for Tree Planting on Private Property

About the Program

The Toronto Free Tree Program (formerly the Community Canopy Program) provides Toronto residents with free native trees and shrubs for their properties through City-run giveaways.

Trees and shrubs from the Toronto Free Tree Program must be planted on privately-owned land such as your front, side or back yard, within the City of Toronto. Please note that a portion of the front or side lawn may be owned by the City as part of the road allowance and is not eligible for this program.

What Residents Receive

Toronto residents can register for the program and select up to two trees or shrubs per household each spring and fall. The trees and shrubs come in 1 or 2-gallon pots and range from 1 to 4 feet in height.

Additional Information

The pickup locations for the Toronto Free Tree Program change each season and are distributed throughout the City to ensure equitable access to the program. Preregistration is required. Register for one of the fall Tree and Shrub Pickup Dates below.

Species Available Fall 2026

Trees

Eastern Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis)

• Mature Height: 40+ feet
• Mature Width: 25+ feet
• Light Requirements: Full Sun, Part Shade, Full Shade
• Soil Preference: Moist, well-drained soil
• Growth Rate: Moderate
• Features of Interest: Eastern Hemlocks are incredibly shade tolerant and retain their needles year-round.
• Wildlife Benefits: Provides year-round food and shelter for birds and small mammals.

Ironwood (Ostrya virginiana) 

• Mature Height: 25+ feet
• Mature Width: 15+ feet
• Light Requirements: Full Sun, Part Shade, Full Shade
• Soil Preference: Moist, well-drained. Sensitive to road salts.
• Growth Rate: Slow
• Features of Interest: This species is also called hop hornbeam because of its seeds, which resemble hops.
• Wildlife Benefits: Ironwood twigs, catkins and seeds are a food source for many birds and mammals.

Serviceberry (Amelanchier canadensis)

• Mature Height: 10-20 feet
• Mature Width: 10+ feet
• Light Requirements: Full Sun, Part Shade, Full Shade
• Soil Preference: Wet to moist, well-drained soil.
• Growth Rate: Moderate
• Features of Interest: Showy white flowers in spring, edible reddish-purple berries in summer, and vibrant orange-red fall colour.
• Wildlife Benefits: Berries are popular amongst fruit-eating birds and mammals. Early spring blooms support pollinators.

Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum)

• Mature Height: 60+ feet
• Mature Width: 40+ feet
• Light Requirements: Full Sun, Part Shade, Shade
• Soil Preference: Moist, well-drained soil.
• Growth Rate: Moderate
• Features of Interest: Brilliant fall colour ranges from yellow to orange to red.
• Wildlife Benefits: Supports a variety of pollinators and other wildlife, including the endangered Cerulean warbler and Acadian flycatcher birds. Larval host plant for the Imperial moth.

White Oak (Quercus alba)

• Mature Height: 50+ ft
• Mature Width: 50+ ft
• Light Requirements: Full sun
• Soil Preference: Moist, well-drained
• Growth Rate: Moderate
• Features of interest: White oaks are large-maturing, long-lived trees that can provide shade and wildlife benefits for several hundred years.
• Wildlife benefits: White oak hosts hundreds of species of butterfly and moth caterpillars. Acorns are a food source for small mammals and large birds such as the Blue Jay.

White Pine (Pinus strobus)

• Mature Height: 50+ feet
• Mature Width: 20+ feet
• Light Requirements: Full Sun, Part Shade
• Soil Preference: Moist, well-drained soil. Sensitive to road salts.
• Growth Rate: Fast
• Features of interest: White pine has long, feathery needles that grow in bundles of five and remain on the tree all year long.
• Wildlife benefits: Several songbird and small mammal species eat white pine seeds and use this tree as nesting habitat.

Shrubs

Black chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa)

• Mature Height: 3-8 feet
• Mature Width: 3-6 feet
• Light Requirements: Full Sun, Part Shade
• Soil Preference: Moist, well-drained soils. Tolerant of a variety of soil and moisture conditions.
• Growth Rate: Moderate to Slow
• Features of interest: Small clusters of white flowers in spring, dark black fruit, and purple-red fall foliage
• Wildlife benefits: Pollinators are attracted by the spring flowers, and songbirds enjoy the fruit throughout the fall and winter.

Common elderberry (Sambucus canadensis)

• Mature Height: 10 feet
• Mature Width: 10 feet
• Light Requirements: Full Sun, Part Shade
• Soil Preference: Moist, well-drained soils.
• Growth Rate: Moderate.
• Features of interest: Common elderberry has large, flat-topped clusters of show white flowers in summer, followed by clusters of small dark fruit.
• Wildlife benefits: Many bird and mammal species enjoy the Common Elderberry’s fruit.

New Jersey Tea (Ceanothus americanus)

• Mature Height: 3-5 feet
• Mature Width: 3-5 feet
• Light Requirements: Full Sun, Part Shade
• Soil Preference: Sandy, well-drained soil. Tolerates dry, rocky soils and occasional drought.
• Growth Rate: Moderate to Slow
• Features of interest: Compact, mounded shrub with clusters of white flowers in the summer.
• Wildlife benefits: Flowers provide nectar for bees, butterflies and hummingbirds.

Ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius)

• Mature Height: 6-10 feet
• Mature Width: 6-10 feet
• Light Requirements: Full Sun, Part Shade
• Soil Preference: Moist, well-drained soils. Tolerant of dry, rocky soils and clay.
• Growth Rate: Moderate
• Features of interest: Ninebark has attractive, peeling papery bark and produced clusters of small white flowers in the spring.
• Wildlife benefits: Ninebark flowers are an important nectar source for bees and butterflies, and their papery seeds persist on the plant into winter providing food for seed-eating birds.

About the Program

The Neighbourhood Planting Program supports eligible community-based not-for-profit groups to host a tree and shrub giveaway or planting event in their neighbourhood. All trees and shrubs must be planted on private property within the City of Toronto.

There are two application periods for this program: one in January for spring events and one in June for fall events.

What Community Groups Receive

The program provides free native trees and shrubs, and free educational materials. Eligible groups can also apply for financial assistance to purchase materials to help run their event and promote the survival of the new plants.

Each season, a variety of native trees and shrubs will be provided by the City. Successful applicants will submit order for species and quantities. The City will deliver the requested plant material to your event.

The trees and shrubs will come in 1- or 2-gallon pots and range from 1 to 4 feet in height.

Application Information

Applications for 2026 events are now closed.

There are two application periods for the Neighbourhood Planting Program in January for spring events and June for fall events. Subscribe to our mailing list below to be notified of application dates.

Please see Neighbourhood Planting Program for eligibility requirements and information on how to apply.

Applications must be submitted through the Toronto Grants, Rebates and Incentives Portal. 

See the list of events this fall below or sign up for our mailing list to be notified when more giveaways become available.

About the Grants

Under the Urban Forestry Community Grants, the two funding streams available are the:

• Greening Partnership Grant
• Community Planting and Stewardship Grant

These grants support tree planting and stewardship projects carried out by eligible not-for-profit organizations, charities and institutions on private land within the City of Toronto.

Application assessment considerations may include a project’s ability to increase canopy cover, build community connections, increase equitable access to green infrastructure and environmental impact.

Application Information

Applications for the 2026 Community Grants are closed. Please see Urban Forestry Community Grants for eligibility requirements and information on how to apply.

Applications must be submitted through the Toronto Grants, Rebates and Incentives Portal.

About the Program

The City has partnered with Local Enhancement and Appreciation of Forests (LEAF) to offer tree planting services on private property to Toronto residents at a subsidized cost.

LEAF offers either a full-service planting option or a do-it-yourself planting option.

What Residents Receive

Under the full-service option, you will receive an in-person site consultation with a LEAF arborist, delivery, planting, and mulching of your new tree and ongoing support and educational material from LEAF. The full-service option costs range from $160 to $230 per tree (+HST).

If you are interested in planting the tree yourself, you will receive a virtual consultation with a LEAF arborist, delivery of your new tree and mulch, as well as ongoing support and educational materials from LEAF. The do-it-yourself option costs range from $110 to $180 per tree (+HST).

The trees sizes range from 5- to 8-foot-tall native deciduous trees or 2- to 4-foot-tall native evergreen trees.

Schedule a Consultation

From 2017 to 2025, the Urban Forestry Grants and Incentives Program has invested and leveraged over $25.4 million and funded 247 projects across all 25 wards in Toronto. Together, with the help of our partners, we have been able to plant over 128,000 trees and shrubs on private land and engage over 326,000 people. The impact reports listed below highlight our achievements in increasing canopy cover on private land and showcase the successes of our community partnerships and collaborations.

While we aim to provide fully accessible content, there is no text alternative available for some of the content on this site. If you require alternate formats or need assistance understanding our maps, drawings or any other content, please email forestrygrants@toronto.ca.

See two versions of the 2024 Urban Forestry Grants and Incentives Impact Report:

• 2024 Urban Forestry Grants and Incentives Impact Report (Simplified)
• 2024 Urban Forestry Grants and Incentives Impact Report (With visual design elements)

See two previous versions of the 2020 Urban Forestry Grants and Incentives Impact Report:

• 2020 Urban Forestry Grants and Incentives Impact Report (Simplified)
• 2020 Urban Forestry Grants and Incentives Impact Report (With visual design elements)