Greater Sudbury – Tree-planting efforts across Canada are playing a large part in tackling the dual crises of climate change and biodiversity loss. Diverse forests have many benefits: they capture the carbon in growing trees to reduce emissions and help in the fight against climate change; they help regulate hot temperatures in cities; they reduce the threats posed by wildland fires and flooding; and they support human health by creating more green spaces for recreational activities and helping Canadians connect with nature. By planting the right tree species in the right places, the governments of Canada and Ontario are working toward a greener and more resilient future for our forests and communities for generations to come.
Today, Marc G. Serré, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources and to the Minister of Official Languages, on behalf of the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Canada’s Minister of Energy and Natural Resources; and Nolan Quinn, Ontario’s Associate Minister of Natural Resources, announced a joint investment of more than $61 million to launch a new tree-planting program in Ontario’s Crown forestland through 2026.
The program will see Ontario and Canada provide equal funding for silvicultural activities — including site preparation and tree planting — to strengthen ecosystems in areas with little or no tree cover, including areas disturbed by forest fires. This tree planting initiative complements trees planted by forest managers to regenerate forests following harvesting activities and should enable the planting of approximately 60 million trees by the end of the program, depending on the availability of suitable Crown forestland and the range of projects identified by Ontario’s forest managers.
The 2 Billion Trees program is part of the Government of Canada’s broader approach to nature-based climate solutions. Tree planting helps to clean the air, keep neighborhoods cool in the summer, create jobs, and fight climate change while protecting nature. By working together with provinces, territories, local communities, non- and for-profit organizations, and Indigenous Peoples, Canada is ensuring a strong, healthy future for generations, supporting the government’s broader climate goals including those related to biodiversity, climate mitigation and the National Adaptation Strategy.
“Trees are essential to our lives: they clean the air we breathe, the shade they provide makes our urban spaces more enjoyable, they give new habitats for wildlife, and they help us adapt to our changing climate. The funding announced today will play an important role in bringing these benefits to Ontarians and will help achieve our federal government’s ambitious goal of planting two billion trees over the next decade. Through this project, we are showing how collaborative work between federal and provincial governments can ensure that the right tree is planted at the right place at the right time for the benefit of all Canadians.” – Jonathan Wilkinson, Canada’s Minister of Energy and Natural Resources