Programs

The Greenbelt Foundation manages a portfolio of strategic internal programs that advance policies and practices centered around preserving and protecting the Greenbelt. These initiatives are designed to produce measurable impact by improving soil health, conserving natural assets, expanding trail access, and connecting communities to nature.

These programs are supported through a diverse network of funding partners, including community foundations, family foundations, corporate philanthropic initiatives, and government grants. By investing in our programs, funders help implement real solutions that preserve natural systems, empower local communities, and shape a sustainable future for Ontario.

The Natural Asset Management Program helps municipalities across the Greenbelt recognize, inventory, and manage ecosystems such as forests, wetlands, aquifers, and streams as vital infrastructure that provide essential services like flood protection, water purification, and climate regulation.

Municipalities in Ontario are required to include natural assets (and their ecosystem services) in their asset management plans. This program offers training, tools, and monitoring support to help integrate the “natural infrastructure” provided by these ecosystems into municipal asset and infrastructure management plans. This includes assessing current practices, identifying barriers, and advancing pilot projects that inform more effective planning approaches.

Through collaboration with municipal staff, conservation authorities, and technical experts, the program builds local capacity for more sustainable and cost-effective infrastructure planning. By making natural assets visible in municipal and financial systems, the program enhances climate resilience and helps protect the long-term health of Greenbelt communities.

The Oak Ridges Moraine Trail Strategy is a long-term initiative to revitalize and enhance one of Ontario’s most significant trail systems. With a vision to create a continuous, primarily off-road route across the Moraine, the strategy enhances access to protected landscapes while supporting awareness of the Moraine and its important groundwater resources, conservation, community engagement, and ecological resilience.

Developed with long-standing partners including the Oak Ridges Trail Association (ORTA), Oak Ridges Moraine Land Trust (ORMLT) and Indigenous perspectives, the Trail Strategy focuses on improving trail infrastructure, securing land access, and enabling programming that reflects the cultural and ecological significance of the region. It advances Reconciliation by creating opportunities for leadership among local First Nations in trail planning, governance, and stewardship, and by supporting opportunities for ceremony, education, and cultural connection along the trail.

By improving access, integrating Indigenous knowledge, and strengthening stewardship capacity, the Oak Ridges Moraine Trail Strategy contributes to a more inclusive, connected, and accessible Greenbelt.

Our Soil Health program supports farmers and agricultural stakeholders across the Greenbelt in improving soil performance through practical, science-based approaches. By developing regionally relevant soil health benchmarks and providing personalized Soil Health Reports, the program equips farmers with the knowledge and tools to make informed land management decisions.

Working in collaboration with researchers, conservation authorities, and farm organizations, the program promotes the adoption of Beneficial Management Practices (BMPs) that enhance soil structure, increase carbon storage, and improve long-term productivity. By advancing a more resilient and climate-smart agricultural system, the Soil Health program strengthens local food production, reduces environmental pressures, and helps ensure that Ontario’s working landscapes continue to thrive for future generations.

Greenbelt Review

Every ten years, the Province of Ontario conducts a mandated review of the Greenbelt Plan, Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan, and the Niagara Escarpment Plan. The coordinated review evaluates the efficacy of the Plans’ policies to determine whether the Plans should be revised to improve the effectiveness and relevance of these policies. Site-specific amendments can be included and require transparency. Information gathered through a monitoring program and public review process is used to inform the Review. The Review can consider implementation tools such as guidance documents.

The Greenbelt Foundation leverages its unique to position to help inform a thoughtful and values-driven review process by convening stakeholders to build consensus on key issues, conducting research to identify and inform strategic priorities, increasing public understanding of and participation in the review process, and advocating for Greenbelt-centered policies.

An evidence-informed and coordinated Greenbelt Review process helps ensure that land use policies remain effective, up to date, and responsive to the evolving needs of the Greenbelt and its communities.

Into the Greenbelt is an engagement program that connects diverse and often underserved communities, including youth, Newcomers, and urban residents, with the natural, agricultural, and cultural systems of Ontario’s Greenbelt. Through partnerships with conservation areas, local farms, Indigenous organizations, and community groups, the program delivers guided trips, educational programming, and cultural and stewardship activities across multiple regions of the Greenbelt. These experiences help participants build environmental awareness, strengthen their connection to the land, and develop a deeper understanding of how protected landscapes contribute to healthy communities.

The 1 Million Greenbelt Trees Program is a large-scale reforestation initiative focused on restoring and protecting forest cover within Ontario’s Greenbelt. Through the planting of native trees on strategically selected sites, the program strengthens habitat connectivity, enhances biodiversity, and reinforces the natural integrity of the Greenbelt landscape.

Strategic tree planting plays a vital role in stabilizing shorelines and watersheds, helping communities in and around the Greenbelt adapt to the effects of climate change. The program also supports Indigenous-led education and conservation initiatives, creating opportunities for cultural connection and land stewardship. In addition, it stimulates growth in the native plant sector and forest-based economies, helping to build a more resilient and sustainable environmental economy in southern Ontario.