West Kelowna, B.C. turns to residents to re-tree urban areas

The City of West Kelowna is asking residents to re-tree their urban spaces and is offering an incentive to do so.

The city has ivory silk Japanese lilac, matador maple, ming cherry and shademaster honeylocust trees on offer at wholesale through West Kelowna’s 2022 urban re-leaf program.

Due to the program’s popularity in past years, the city has increased the number of trees available under the program to 500 this year, from 200 in 2021. The trees will cost $65 plus taxes, until April 3.

The city created the Urban Re-Leaf Program in 2019 to “help expand the community’s green canopy and take action (against) climate change.”

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“Most importantly, they create the very air we breathe and act as filters, working to keep it clean,” reads the city website.

“Trees remove carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases from the air, which in turn cools the earth. In fact, a mature canopy tree absorbs enough carbon dioxide, at a rate of about 21.6 kilograms per year, and releases enough oxygen to sustain two human beings.”

Other benefits cited include conserving water and reducing runoff through absorption of rainfall, conserving energy, creating economic and tourism benefits through attractive tree cover and landscaping, and providing habitat for thousands of species.

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Treed areas throughout the Okanagan are diminishing rapidly, given the push for housing.

West Kelowna topped $170 million in business permits for 2021, where the five-year average is around $94 million.

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Tree pickup will take place Saturday, April 9 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Mount Boucherie Recreation Complex gravel parking lot at 2760 Cameron Rd. City staff and community volunteers will load the trees.

Residents will need to tie and secure and flag their own loads before leaving. Provide your proof of purchase so city staff and volunteers know which tree to load. Bring a vehicle, such as a pick-up truck, capable of transporting a tree that is between six and 12 feet tall in a 10-gallon pot.