Whitby: two new mini forests to take root this fall at Windsor Bay and Central Park

Two underused green spaces in Whitby, Windsor Bay Park and Central Park, are set to become dense, fast-growing native mini forests this fall, planted in the Miyawaki style by the non-profit Little Forests Durham with financial support from the Town of Whitby.

Community volunteers spent the summer preparing the sites, layering wetted cardboard, compost and mulch over the grass at the roughly 100-square-metre Windsor Bay Park site at 301 Front St. E. in south Whitby to smother weeds and build nutrient-rich soil, with a similar preparation day held at Central Park on June 20. The Rotary Club of Whitby Sunrise and the local community partnered on the Windsor Bay Park site.

The group says the forests will provide wildlife habitat, improve air quality, capture carbon and reduce urban heat, and will grow faster and support more biodiversity than conventional urban tree plantings. It has already helped plant four mini forests in the region, including Whitby's first at Heber Down Conservation Area in October 2025, which was featured in Mayor Elizabeth Roy's February 2026 newsletter.

Fall plantings are also planned at prepared sites in Uxbridge, at 57 Elgin Park Dr. in honour of the late Steve Snoddon, and in Clarington at the Diane Hamre Recreation Complex, in partnership with the Municipality of Clarington, the Clarington Climate Action Collective and the Ganaraska Region Conservation Authority. Planting dates are posted on the group's website, and questions can be directed to info@littleforestsdurham.ca. Sources: Whitby Voice reporting, Oct. 15, 2026; Little Forests Durham.