Smith + Andersen’s EcoJam hits its tenth year and $330,000 for Forests Canada

Smith + Andersen raised $75,000 for Forests Canada at its 10th annual EcoJam concert in Toronto, bringing the engineering firm’s decade-long cumulative total to just over $330,000 for forest conservation across Canada. Sandra Iacobelli, Communications Director at Forests Canada, told Charity Journal that the money funds a restoration process that begins long before a single tree is planted.

A decade of engineering for the forest

EcoJam started in 2013 as a charity benefit rock concert where architects, engineers, designers, and construction leaders from across the Greater Toronto Area perform for a sold-out audience of peers. Smith + Andersen hosts the event annually during Earth Month, and what began as a single night has grown into one of the sector’s most distinctive philanthropic traditions.

The 10th edition took place on April 16 at the Phoenix Concert Theatre in Toronto, drawing a community of professionals from the AEC industry. This year’s sold-out event saw Smith + Andersen raise $75,000 for Forests Canada.

“Supporting forest conservation is a small way we can contribute to the environment outside of the buildings we create,” said Bram Atlin, Principal at Smith + Andersen. “We are proud to partner with Forests Canada and help advance the incredible work they do.”

Here’s how Forests Canada uses the funds

Iacobelli told Charity Journal that the funds support a systems-wide approach to restoration that most conservation donors never see. Forests Canada manages everything from site evaluations and planting plans to a network of more than 100 planting professionals, nursery partners, and seed collectors.

Planted sites undergo ongoing monitoring to determine survival and establishment rates, with all data managed through a proprietary database that tracks outcomes across restoration projects nationwide. The cumulative contributions from Smith + Andersen have directly supported the planting of several hectares of new and restored forests in communities across the country.

Over the last three years, demand for Forests Canada’s restoration expertise has risen sharply, driven by the devastating impact of wildfires, extreme weather, and invasive species on natural landscapes.

“The funds raised make a powerful difference across our restoration efforts, strengthening forest resilience, enhancing biodiversity, creating habitat and food sources for wildlife, and investing in local communities and economies,” said Jess Kaknevicius, CEO of Forests Canada.

The people behind the trees

Forests Canada treats capacity building as central to its restoration model, investing continuously in the nurseries, planting crews, seed collectors, and small and medium-sized businesses that make large-scale restoration possible.

Iacobelli told Charity Journal that sustaining this community-driven model requires reliable, long-term financial partnerships rather than one-off donations.

Smith + Andersen’s decade of commitment reflects exactly that model. Corporate partners who return year after year give Forests Canada the planning horizon to take on restoration projects measured not in seasons but in generations.