Hamilton port lands welcome new forest, playground on Friday

Hamilton’s newest forest opens on Friday, bringing life to a section of the city’s port lands that hasn’t seen a single tree in two years.

Now this stretch of land holds 101 mature trees and a natural playground designed for children, many from low-income households.

Located outside CityKidz, the AIM Recycling Playspace is situated in an industrial section of the Hamilton Port Authority Area known for its lack of green space.

This year’s Hamilton State of the Urban Forest Report states that the north end east neighbourhood, where the new forest now stands, has just 13.2 per cent tree canopy cover.

This falls short of the city’s 18 per cent average and is well below Hamilton’s 2050 target of 30 to 40 per cent canopy cover.

This project aims to close that gap for local families.

This project was funded by a $1 million investment from American Iron & Metal (AIM)’s Ontario Recycling Headquarters and supported by HOPA Ports, which owns the port lands and a broad base of community donors.

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