Acknowledging the mutual threat of climate change, the working group began by challenging local parishes to plant trees, while supporting tree planting in Uganda. This twinning relationship and the opportunity for local action caught the imagination of Anglicans here.  This year alone, 410 native species trees were planted in the diocese and over 23,000 trees in Uganda.

Sourced from local tree nurseries, red maples, black spruce, sugar maples and basswood seedlings were planted in the diocese. Through a generous donation from Christ Church Cathedral, we were able to distribute trees while encouraging recipients to donate funds in support of St. Jude Family Projects, a PWRDF partner in Uganda. We are extremely grateful to all who made donations, and to our parish contacts who facilitated the distribution and to all who planted trees in their gardens and neighbourhoods.

St. Jude Family Projects in Uganda distributed a variety of native and fruit-bearing species. Among the native trees are Faidherbia albida (Musita/Nsabya), known for its ability to improve soil fertility and provide shade and fodder; Markhamia lutea (Musambya), valued for timber, medicinal uses, and shade; Maesopsis eminii (Musizi), a fast-growing tree used for timber and soil improvement; and Albizia coriaria (Musisa), another important nitrogen-fixing species. Additionally, recipients requested and received fruit trees such as jackfruit, mango, avocado, guava, papaya, and banana.

By partnering with PWRDF/Alongside Hope these native trees will count towards the Communion Forest, a Lambeth Conference global initiative from 2022 dedicated to “renewing the life of the earth across the Anglican Communion and beyond” by forest protection, tree growing and ecosystem restoration.

The program was highlighted at St Stephen’s Church and the Alongside/PWRDF Meet Our Partners event in November.  Many thanks to St. Stephen’s for hosting, to their amazing cooking crew, Basic Kneads Bakery who donated the bread, and all who attended.

Walking alongside our partner in Uganda we have made a difference in our community and indeed the world. Thank you for inspiring hope for a sustainable future for all.

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Branches of Hope is an “offshoot” of the Communion Forest, a global initiative to plant trees, as well as conserve, protect and restore ecosystems throughout the Anglican Communion, launched at the 2022 Lambeth Conference.

This work began in our diocese when the PWRDF Working Group accepted the challenge of its chair, the Ven. Patrick Stephens, to work toward Lambeth’s goal to “renew the life of the earth across the Anglican Communion and beyond.”

A generous donation from Christ Church Cathedral enabled the working group to purchase locally grown tree seedlings—red maple and black spruce—that they will distribute to individuals, families, parishes and community groups. Planting trees here in the diocese of Ottawa will improve the health of communities for years to come.

Branches of Hope also has an international goal in Uganda, where industrialization, wars and wetland destruction have contributed to flooding and soil degradation. Recipients of young trees here in the diocese are encouraged to donate $10 per seedling to support this important work.

PWRDF partner Josephine Kizza visited our diocesan Synod in 2023 and explained that she and her family have operated St. Jude Family Projects in Masaka since the 1980s. Today, recognized internationally, the farm attracts students from around the world who are learning the principles of soil conservation and restoration. Tree-planting is also part of the curriculum.

You don’t need to own land to receive a tree: trees make excellent gifts. A tree might mark an occasion like a birthday, the arrival of a grandchild, an anniversary or honour the life of a loved one. Some municipalities might also accept seedlings to plant in parks or other green spaces.

PWRDF has been responding to emergency situations and supporting development projects in Canada and around the world for more than 60 years.

To order a tree or trees please contact the Ven. Patrick Stephens (thereverendpatrickstephens@gmail.com) to indicate your preference for either maple or spruce seedling(s) and arrange for delivery.

Donations can be made directly to PWRDF

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The idea for this project began at Synod in 2022 when Bishop Shane Parker introduced those gathered to a global initiative from the Anglican Communion in response to the climate change crisis. The Communion Forest is intended as “a practical, spiritual, and symbolic response to the environmental crisis, and an act of Christian hope for the well-being of humanity and all God’s creation.” It encourages Anglicans across the world to plant trees and engage in forestation in ways that are appropriate to their own local context.

Archdeacon Patrick Stephens, chair of the diocesan PWRDF Working Group, told Crosstalk that it also happened that Josephine Kizza, executive director of longtime PWRDF partner St. Jude Family Projects was in Ottawa, met with the working group and attended a part of Synod. Part of the St. Jude work involves “planting trees, native species, sometimes fruit bearing trees, but sometimes trees that are for various reasons beneficial to the soil and the natural environment,” Stephens told Crosstalk. “We were really impressed and also affected by her story and the work that she does and the people she works with. And so we wanted to support that initiative and we decided that we also wanted to participate in the Communion Forest Initiative.”

Stephens suggested combining the local and international efforts, and the working group envisioned planting trees both here in the diocese and donating funds to St. Jude’s to plant trees in Uganda. They wanted to buy 500 seedlings for people across the diocese to plant as a part of the Branches of Hope project. They were just missing one vital ingredient — the money to buy the trees.

When she heard about their idea, Dean Beth Bretzlaff brought that obstacle to the parish council of Christ Church Cathedral, where the parish is enthusiastic about planting trees but short on space to plant until a project to improve its Queen Street entrance is completed. The council quickly and unanimously agreed to donate the $3,000 required to buy the trees to PWRDF to help other parishes, groups or individuals plant trees this spring.

“Everyone was supportive and thought it was a great idea,” Vicar’s Warden Catherine Morris told Crosstalk, adding that the Cathedral serves everyone in the diocese and the parish likes to strengthen connections to other parishes.

Morris thought of another way for the project to grow once the space at the Cathedral’s Queen Street entrance is ready for planting the microforest project they have in mind. “I thought it wouldn’t be neat, since … we’re everyone’s Cathedral if different churches could donate money and then put a tree in or a plant in, she explained. “When the time comes, we’ll invite other churches within the diocese to plant a tree. Then they can say this is St. Matthew’s tree, or this is the shrubbery of St. Aidan’s.”

The Cathedral’s project will focus on parishes, but Stephens underlined that the broader Branches of Hope project isn’t just for parishes. Any individual or group can plant a tree or trees. “We’re asking people to sign up at their local parish. They can ask their priest or ask me.” [Please email thereverendpatrickstephens@gmail.com or call 613-870-1440] The Working Group would like to have the list of names by Feb. 1, 2023, so that they can order the trees and distribute them in the spring.

Branches of Hope now has its own landing page on the PWRDF website. Now that the Cathedral has paid for the trees to be planted here in the diocese, donations can all go to planting trees in Uganda. The goal is to raise $5,000, so at least 500 trees can be planted there. You can also read more about Josephine Kizza’s work in Uganda.

Stephens said that the diocesan group will be in touch with the office overseeing the international Communion Forest initiative. “There’s a global map, so, we’ll have Ottawa on the map.”

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Some 25 of us gathered at 10 am to pray and sing our joy as we took turns shoveling soil onto the roots of the one-metre tall white spruce.

Planting that small tree at Epiphany, one of the program’s pilot churches, was only a first step. The Branches of Hope project aims to plant 500 native trees in Ottawa and 500 in Uganda in cooperation with St. Jude’s Family Projects and others. St. Jude’s has already started planting mango, moringa and other trees to help with reforestation and to provide charcoal for cooking.

During the 10:30 am service, Epiphany’s own Valerie Maier, president of PWRDF’s board of directors, told us about the work that PWRDF is doing in Canada and around the world — and helped us understand how vital this work is to sharing God’s love with those in need.

The morning wrapped up with a lively fundraising lunch, a delicious spread of flavours from around the world provided by parishioners.

Is your parish interested in connecting to plant trees and be a part of a worldwide effort to address climate change? Find out how you can participate in this program in spring 2024 by planting trees in the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa (ADO) region: send an email to TheReverendPatrickStephens@gmail.com. Did we mention the trees will be provided free of charge? One tree planted in the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa (ADO) region equals one tree planted at St. Jude Family Projects, Uganda.

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