City to plant a tree for every REDBLACKS touchdown

_ (press release) _

** Ottawa ** – As if you needed another reason to cheer on the Ottawa REDBLACKS, here is one more. For each touchdown the REDBLACKs score at TD Place Stadium this season, a tree will be planted at the OC Transpo Trim Park and Ride.

The end result will be ** The REDBLACKS Forest ** , a partnership between the City of Ottawa and the REDBLACKS parent company, Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group (OSEG).

“Ottawa football fans who cheer-on the REDBLACKS can also celebrate the addition of green space, one touchdown and one tree at a time,” said Mayor Watson. “The REDBLACKS Forest is a great example of the City’s commitment to support an environmentally sustainable Ottawa.”

The trees will be planted in fall 2016 or spring 2017, weather permitting, and will be a mix of different species. They will be planted at the Trim Park and Ride in recognition of the thousands of football fans who use transit services to get to the games.

“This initiative adds a new dimension to our touchdown story and extends it to the entire community,” said Bernie Ashe, CEO of OSEG. “As fans know, we saw through a log with a chainsaw when we score a touchdown at TD Place and present those log slices (wood cookies), which are symbols of excellence, to community heroes. Now, we’re creating a forest of trees for the future and, with the exciting offence we’ve seen so far, it looks like it could be a very large forest.”

Last season, the REDBLACKS scored 35 touchdowns at TD Place (10 regular season games and one playoff).

For more information on the REDBLACKS, visit REDBLACKS.com or connect with the team via Facebook, Twitter and Instagram .