To the left, a large wasteland on which you can see the old ring where horses ran. On the right, big box stores. While in the center, there are thousands of trees from the greening company Soverdi.
We are on the former site of the Blue Bonnets Racetrack, near Highway 15 and the Orange Julep. “We were the eyes of the place,” says Simon Racine.
The general director of Soverdi speaks in the past tense because the City of Montreal has (finally) announced its master plan for the Namur-Hippodrome district.
PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
The ring of the old Montreal Hippodrome where the horses raced is still clearly visible.
But at the rate things are going, Soverdi’s lease for its nursery is far from over.
We should rather speak of a “nursery”, since the plants there are incubated before taking root almost everywhere in Greater Montreal. “The trees are ready for planting when they arrive here from our suppliers. We maintain them,” explains Simon Racine.
-
PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
Saint Joseph’s Oratory in the distance
-
PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
In summer, there are 10,000 trees or shrubs of some 250 varieties.
-
PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
Mathew Guénette, operations coordinator, holds a bachelor’s degree in environmental design. His dog Téo accompanies him to work.
-
PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
Large wasteland areas such as the former Hippodrome site, near a metro station, are increasingly rare.
1/4
Soverdi has occupied part of the former Blue Bonnets site since 2019. Before, its nursery occupied the site of the MIL Campus Ephemeral Projects, but space ran out. In five years, it has grown from 10 to around fifty employees, and from 10,000 to 25,000 trees planted per year.
The NPO was founded in 1992. It first gained importance with the proliferation of green alleys, then with the Canopy Action Plan, established in 2012 under the administration of Gérald Tremblay. The City then gave him the mandate to plant trees on private and institutional land, whether near schools, businesses or hospitals…
The Urban Forest Alliance
PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
It’s hard to believe that we are very close to the Décarie highway.
To achieve this, Soverdi created the Urban Forest Alliance, which brings together around fifty organizations, including GRAME, Trees Canada and VertCité. “We are all working together to green Montreal. The idea is that the funding we receive is shared,” summarizes communications director Jessyca Farrugia.
“It’s a pretty unique structure,” she boasts. Several cities in North America and Europe want to take inspiration from it. In May, a meeting is also planned with representatives of the City of Boston.
The 2020-2030 Climate Plan plans to plant 500,000 trees by 2030 in urban areas in Montreal, almost half of which will be carried out by the Urban Forest Alliance on non-municipal land.
PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
Soverdi created the Urban Forest Alliance, a unique structure of its kind.
Since COP 15 (United Nations Conference on Biodiversity) in 2022, Soverdi also has an agreement with the CMM (Metropolitan Community of Montreal) for a afforestation program outside the island. Finally, she is behind the A tree for my neighborhood campaign, Who invites Montrealers to plant trees on their land.
PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
Jessyca Farrugia, communications director of Soverdi, and general manager Simon Racine
Plantings are not done at random. “All the trees we plant are georeferenced with an application,” reveals Simon Racine.
PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
All planted trees are georeferenced.
“You have to plant the right tree in the right place,” continues Jessyca Farrugia. We have a 95% survival rate, which is quite exceptional. This is because we plant carefully, but also because we maintain the trees for the following two years. »
Good weather, bad weather
PHOTO ROBERT SKINNER, THE PRESS
A stake promotes the survival of trees.
In the nursery, the plants are taken care of. “We have just finished raising the 4,300 trees that we had laid down for the winter,” says Mathew Guénette, operations manager, while The Press visits them at the end of April, at the start of the season.
The nursery facilities remain rustic, he emphasizes. The day before, he and the members of his team had celebrated the arrival of… electricity!
PHOTO ROBERT SKINNER, THE PRESS
Soverdi celebrated the milestone of 100,000 trees planted over the last 10 years through more than 1000 projects, in collaboration with members of the Urban Forest Alliance.
“There are 250 varieties of trees,” explains nursery manager Ryan Séguin, who started at Soverdi as a planter. The holder of a bachelor’s degree in environmental geography and a master’s degree in urban studies is delighted to work outside.
While the weather was splendid when we visited the Soverdi nursery in April, an intense cold rain fell when we attended a planting a few days later in L’Île-Bizard–Sainte-Geneviève on the land of the Saint-Raphaël elderly residence. “This is our second planting of the year. The first was under the snow. This is the reality on the ground, but I am proud of the team which has many recruits,” says project manager Aymeric Yanitch.
PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
Ryan Séguin, in charge of the nursery, has his eye on the Japanese beetle.
“Rainy days are the best for planting trees, because they undergo less stress,” emphasizes team leader Anaëlle Cousinne.
Last year, Soverdi also greened the grounds of the residence with a plant barrier of 450 trees.
-
PHOTO ROBERT SKINNER, THE PRESS
Aymeric Yanitch in front of the trees planted last year by Soverdi
-
PHOTO ROBERT SKINNER, THE PRESS
“It’s my fourth day,” says François-Xavier Labrecque, who went green after working in bars.
1/2
Biologist, Aymeric Yanitch did his doctorate at the Botanical Garden. His job at Soverdi allows him to reconcile his interests in theory and the field. “I love seeing our efforts come to fruition and the scope of our work. Our motto is to plant the right tree in the right place. »
Visit the A tree for my neighborhood website