Fredericton is not only New Brunswick’s capital, it’s now the Forest Capital of Canada.
The designation was given to the city by the Canadian Institute of Forestry (CIF) and lasts the full year. It is something Fredericton Mayor Kate Rogers is honoured to receive.
“It’s also just validation of all the work that we’ve done as a city,” she said. “We’ve been very intentional. We were planning 350 trees a year and now we plant 500 a year.”
The CIF is a national organization and a voice for forest practitioners and many others in the industry.
It has two urban forests – a forest that grows within the confines of a city or urban area – one on each side of the St. John River.
Odell Park is a forest that spans 333 acres and has 16 kilometres of trails. Some of the trees in the park are more than 400 years old. It’s home to the Odell Arboretum and New Brunswick Species Collection – an arboretum is a place where trees, shrubs, and sometimes herbaceous plants are cultivated for scientific and educational purposes.
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According to the city, it includes every native New Brunswick tree species.
Killarney Lake is a park on the city’s northside. It is 645 acres and has 30 kilometres of trails and is twice the city of New York City’s Central Park. About 25 per cent of it is under conservation. Both forests are home to a variety of biodiversity and wildlife.
“We define ourselves with our trees and we take special care of them so to be acknowledged nationally for that work, it just feels extra special,” said Rogers.
But the urban forests isn’t the only thing that helped Fredericton earn the title.
The designation focuses on the role forests play in the socio-economic and environmental health of communities.
Mark Pearson, with the CIF, said there are many industry leaders who’ve chosen Fredericton for their headquarters – like the Hugh J. Flemming Forestry Centre, the forestry and environmental management programs at the University of New Brunswick, and several forestry companies.
“The proposal coming in from Fredericton was very strong,” he said in an interview.
Pearson said Fredericton also shows a strong commitment to managing its forests, including through its parks and trees division.
“The city is very deserving of this award, and we look forward to seeing their activities unfold in the coming months in celebration of the urban forest and the larger ecosystem it helps to sustain,” he said in a press release.
The city makes a commitment to plant up to 500 trees per year.
“I would say we feel very defined by our nature, by our forests,” said Rogers.