{"slug":"leaf-toronto","name":"LEAF (Local Enhancement & Appreciation of Forests)","tagline":"Toronto charity planting subsidized native trees in backyards and on public land across Toronto, York and Durham","description":"LEAF is a Toronto-based charity that engages communities in growing the urban forest through planting, stewardship and education. Its Backyard Tree Planting Program, run with the City of Toronto and municipalities in York and Durham regions, sends an arborist to help residents choose native trees and shrubs and plants them at a subsidized cost, with free trees for low-canopy, equity-deserving Toronto neighbourhoods. LEAF also runs volunteer plantings on public lands in York and Durham, tree planting and tenant-led tree care teams in Toronto Community Housing and Housing York communities, Urban Forest Demonstration Gardens at TTC stations, the Tree Tenders training course and youth programs. It reports more than 75,000 trees and shrubs planted in its first 30 years.","website_url":"https://www.yourleaf.org","logo_url":null,"founded_year":1996,"org_type":"nonprofit","scope":"regional","headquarters":{"city":"Toronto","region":"Ontario","country":"CA","lat":43.6532,"lng":-79.3832},"volunteer_url":"https://www.yourleaf.org/volunteer","donation_url":"https://www.yourleaf.org/make-donation","events_url":"https://www.yourleaf.org/events","featured":false,"trees_on_record":75000,"primary_activity":"urban-forestry","activities":[{"slug":"urban-forestry","name":"Urban forestry","primary":true},{"slug":"tree-adoption-giveaway","name":"Tree adoption & giveaways","primary":false},{"slug":"tree-care-maintenance","name":"Tree care & maintenance","primary":false},{"slug":"education-advocacy","name":"Education & advocacy","primary":false}],"updated_at":"2026-11-08T00:02:16.275Z","url":"https://treerm.org/org/leaf-toronto","markdown_url":"https://treerm.org/org/leaf-toronto.md","api_url":"https://treerm.org/api/v1/organizations/leaf-toronto","data_note":"LEAF reports trees and shrubs together, so every planting figure here is a combined count of native trees and shrubs rather than trees alone. The 2025 annual report also lists 49 trees and 306 shrubs planted in Toronto Community Housing communities, 49 trees on Housing York properties and 400 free shrubs given away, which are not included in the program figures above.","derived":{"annual_trees":[{"year":2024,"value":1986},{"year":2025,"value":10084}],"latest_annual":{"year":2025,"value":10084},"yoy":4.077542799597181,"cagr":null,"dollars_raised_per_tree":null,"cost_per_tree":null,"trees_per_volunteer":{"value":4.384347826086956,"year":2025,"trees":10084,"volunteers":2300},"survival":null,"hectares":null,"transparency":{"score":50,"label":"Partly documented","points":[{"key":"annual","label":"Publishes annual tree figures","earned":10,"max":20,"why":"2 years of annual figures on record (5 points each, up to 4 years)"},{"key":"recent","label":"Figures are recent","earned":15,"max":15,"why":"Latest annual figure is for 2025"},{"key":"sourced","label":"Every figure has a public source","earned":10,"max":10,"why":"6 of 6 figures link to a source"},{"key":"money","label":"Publishes financials or cost per tree","earned":0,"max":15,"why":"No financial figure recorded"},{"key":"survival","label":"Reports survival or monitoring","earned":0,"max":15,"why":"No survival or monitoring figure"},{"key":"verified","label":"Independently verified figure","earned":0,"max":10,"why":"All figures are the organization's own"},{"key":"programs","label":"Breaks figures down by program","earned":10,"max":10,"why":"Figures attached to named programs"},{"key":"people","label":"Reports volunteers or events","earned":5,"max":5,"why":"Volunteer figures on record"}]},"methodology":"https://treerm.org/methodology"},"countries":["CA"],"social_links":{"x":"https://twitter.com/leaf","instagram":"https://www.instagram.com/leaf_org","facebook":"https://www.facebook.com/LocalEnhancementAndAppreciationofForests","linkedin":"https://www.linkedin.com/company/local-enhancement-and-appreciation-of-forests","youtube":"https://www.youtube.com/user/LEAFToronto"},"programs":[{"slug":"backyard-tree-planting-program","name":"Backyard Tree Planting Program (Planting on Private Property)","activity":"urban-forestry","description":"Subsidized native trees and shrubs for private property in Toronto, York Region and Durham Region, with an arborist consultation and Full Service or Do-It-Yourself planting options; municipal partners add rebates.","url":"https://www.yourleaf.org/planting-private-property","started_year":1996,"ended_year":null},{"slug":"toronto-low-canopy-greening","name":"Toronto Low-Canopy Neighbourhood Greening Initiative","activity":"tree-adoption-giveaway","description":"Free native trees and shrubs for eligible properties in low-canopy, equity-deserving Toronto neighbourhoods, funded by the City of Toronto; a one-year pilot in 2024 that became a three-year initiative.","url":"https://www.yourleaf.org/toronto-low-canopy-neighbourhood-greening-initiative","started_year":2024,"ended_year":null},{"slug":"community-tree-planting-stewardship","name":"Community Tree Planting & Stewardship (York and Durham Regions)","activity":"urban-forestry","description":"Volunteer planting and stewardship events on public lands in York and Durham Region municipalities such as Aurora, Georgina, King, Markham, Oshawa, Richmond Hill, Vaughan and Whitby.","url":"https://www.yourleaf.org/volunteer","started_year":2004,"ended_year":null},{"slug":"tchc-planting-stewardship","name":"Toronto Community Housing Planting and Stewardship Program","activity":"tree-care-maintenance","description":"Plants native trees and shrubs on Toronto Community Housing properties and forms tenant-led Tree Care Teams for long-term stewardship; the City of Toronto supplies the large-caliper trees.","url":"https://www.yourleaf.org/tch-planting-and-stewardship-program","started_year":2018,"ended_year":null},{"slug":"tree-tenders-training","name":"Tree Tenders Training Course","activity":"education-advocacy","description":"Volunteer training course covering tree biology, identification, planting and care, and municipal bylaws.","url":"https://www.yourleaf.org/tree-tenders-training-course","started_year":null,"ended_year":null}],"metrics":[{"metric_type":"trees_planted","year":2026,"value":75000,"is_cumulative":true,"program":null,"source_url":"https://www.yourleaf.org/node/2843","source_note":"30th anniversary media release, July 17 2026: '75,000+ trees and shrubs planted' across Toronto, York Region and Durham Region communities since 1996 (trees and shrubs combined)","confidence":"reported"},{"metric_type":"volunteers_engaged","year":2025,"value":2300,"is_cumulative":false,"program":null,"source_url":"https://www.yourleaf.org/files/2025_leaf_annual_report.pdf","source_note":"2025 Annual Report, p.11: 'over 2,300 LEAF volunteers and community participants dedicated over 7,900 hours to planting events, providing stewardship, raising awareness and more'","confidence":"reported"},{"metric_type":"trees_planted","year":2024,"value":1672,"is_cumulative":false,"program":"backyard-tree-planting-program","source_url":"https://www.yourleaf.org/files/2024_leaf_annual_report_final.pdf","source_note":"2024 Annual Report, p.4: '1,672 native trees and shrubs were planted for 567 property owners through the Backyard Tree Planting Program' (trees and shrubs combined)","confidence":"reported"},{"metric_type":"trees_planted","year":2025,"value":1585,"is_cumulative":false,"program":"backyard-tree-planting-program","source_url":"https://www.yourleaf.org/files/2025_leaf_annual_report.pdf","source_note":"2025 Annual Report, p.4 'By the Numbers': '1,585 native trees and shrubs were planted for 446 property owners through the Backyard Tree Planting Program' (trees and shrubs combined)","confidence":"reported"},{"metric_type":"trees_distributed","year":2024,"value":314,"is_cumulative":false,"program":"toronto-low-canopy-greening","source_url":"https://www.yourleaf.org/files/2024_leaf_annual_report_final.pdf","source_note":"2024 Annual Report, p.5: 'we helped 77 property owners across 18 NIAs plant 314 free native trees and shrubs' during the one-year pilot (trees and shrubs combined)","confidence":"reported"},{"metric_type":"trees_planted","year":2025,"value":8499,"is_cumulative":false,"program":"community-tree-planting-stewardship","source_url":"https://www.yourleaf.org/files/2025_leaf_annual_report.pdf","source_note":"2025 Annual Report, p.12: 'LEAF volunteers dedicated 4,287 hours to plant 8,499 native trees and shrubs on public lands. We held 18 planting events' in York and Durham Regions (trees and shrubs combined)","confidence":"reported"}],"upcoming_events":[],"license":"CC-BY-4.0"}