It’s early dawn and Brad Bunkowsky is already up and ready for the early-bird golfers at his family-owned golf course in Burlington.

Burlington Springs Golf and Country Club is a family legacy. After his father acquired the two adjacent plots of farmland in the 1960s with a vision to build his own course, he passed on the land to his four children to continue the course’s operations. Today, the course is thriving, in part because of Bunkowsky’s tree planting efforts.

In 2014, a plan was drafted that saw the planting of more than 25,000 trees across the course, with 26 species. The most common are silver maple, red oak, and white birch. The plan accounted for Bunkowsky objectives by ensuring that the trees would enhance the course’s esthetics without having the plant impede on the course’s ability to operate.

Four years later, in 2018, the trees have seen exceptional growth – some are now more than 20 feet high. One of the factors in the growth of the trees is the excellent maintenance by the groundskeepers, which has resulted in 90 per cent of the trees surviving. Forestry staff have also visited Burlington Springs for tending and pruning. Pruning helps trees grow quickly and maintain their form. Actively growing trees sequester high amounts of carbon.

In the long term, he believes the trees will also help generate staffing efficiencies at the course.

“Right now we have people tending the trees, but once they reach a certain height, we will just let them grow and become part of the rough,” he said. “This will cut down on the numerous hours spent cutting and maintaining the grass. It’s a win-win.”

After planting the course, Bunkowsky was also able to enrol in the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry’s Managed Forest Tax Incentive Program (MFTIP), a program that provides a tax break to qualified landowners. “Since planting, we have saved 19 per cent on our taxes,” he added.

You do not need to own or operate a golf course to plant trees on your property, but you do need to have a minimum of 2.5 acres of open land within Conservation Halton’s watershed. Conservation Halton is looking for landowners for 2019 plantings.

The knowledgeable staff at Conservation Halton (CH) will conduct a free site visit to discuss project objectives and create a planting plan that is well suited to your property.

CH will help you access and apply to the appropriate funding programs to reduce the cost of tree planting.