After 50 years of regreening efforts, ‘Sudbury is vibrant and alive’

This year marks 50 years since a Sudbury group began working to reclaim the city’s badly damaged environment.

The vegetation enhancement technical advisory committee, better known as VETAC, has spent the last five decades working to restore land in and around the city.

While much progress has been made, there is still a lot of work to be done. On Thursday for example, a city crew was on a 20-hectare plot of land east of the Sudbury that is still barren.

Officials said crews were taking Step 1 in regreening the area by spreading agricultural lime.

"Eventually over time with some rain that will slowly seep into the soil and it will neutralize the acidity of the soil," said Tina McCaffrey, the supervisor of the regreening program for the City of Greater Sudbury.

“Then any of the metals that are in the soil will actually stay in the soil and the plants that are growing won't uptake those metals, which will make them sick.”

Reflecting on the anniversary, the Coalition For A Liveable Sudbury said 50 years of regreening has transformed the city.

"It's so much greener," said Sharon Roy, co-chair of Coalition For A Liveable Sudbury.

“It's been really good for human life, non-human life -- all of the animals and the birds and the fish. Sudbury is vibrant and alive because of the regreening program.”

Tina McCaffrey, the supervisor of the regreening program for the City of Greater Sudbury, says the work to reclaim the city's environment is ongoing. (Alana Everson/CTV News)

City officials said the recovery of the land so far is remarkable but recognize there is still a lot of work to be done.

"Last year we even celebrated the planting of our 10 millionth tree,” McCaffrey said.

“That was very exciting. We drew the attention of both the prime minister and Dr. Jane Goodall, who came to Sudbury to help celebrate that with us.”

City officials said at the end of August crews, will return to the area where the lime was spread to add fertilizer and a grass seed mixture in preparation for tree planting next year.

Eventually, native shrubs like buffalo berry and wild raisin will be planted. 

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