British Columbia is celebrating 10 billion trees being planted in the province.
B.C. started its reforestation programs in 1930. But efforts have ramped up in the last decade, and 2 billion of the 10 billion trees that have been planted were planted within the past seven years.
“To support healthy forests for people and communities, we are accelerating tree planting and building on decades of work restoring our forests,” Forests Minister Bruce Ralston said in a statement Monday.
He also said that these forests are vital for providing clean air, recreation and jobs for locals.
“The full benefits won’t be realized until well into the future,” said Ralston. “It’s a fine legacy for all the thousands of nursery workers, planters and foresters involved over the years.”
Ralston planted the milestone tree in Surrey’s Green Timbers Urban Forest Park, where B.C.’s reforestation efforts began nearly a century ago.
“Ten billion seedlings planted is a remarkable achievement in making sure our forests are with us for generations to come,” Ralston said.
He said reforestation efforts have been focused especially in areas affected by insect infestations and wildfires. Ralston said he was proud of how much effort has gone into this goal.
“Planting 10 billion trees means 10 billion carefully wielded shovels by 20 billion hands across almost 100 years,” said Ralston. “This is an accomplishment we can all be proud of.”
This year the province will plant around 50 million more trees. The Ministry of Forests’ BC Timber Sales have contracts with around 40 businesses to plant trees.
“The planting of 10 billion trees in our province is one of B.C.’s most important mega projects,” Ralston said.
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