Ottawa – Jonathan Wilkinson, Canada’s Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, announced an investment of more than $900,000 to Integrity Reforestation for a major reforestation project that will help to restore wildfire-impacted land and caribou habitat in Ontario’s Ogoki Forest.
With this funding, Integrity Reforestation will:
● plant 800,000 trees, covering 450 hectares of the Ogoki Forest;
● rehabilitate ecosystems destroyed by wildfires using native species to restore the habitats of woodland caribou, moose and black bears; and
● create over 40 tree-planting jobs in the region.
With this agreement, Canada and Integrity Reforestation are leveraging their shared commitment to habitat restoration and climate action. Canada will continue to work with provinces, territories, local communities, organizations and Indigenous Peoples to create a greener, healthier and more resilient Canada while reinforcing our country’s ability to respond to wildfires, especially in the face of changing climate.
“Trees are essential to our lives: they clean the air we breathe, they make the outdoors even more enjoyable, they give new habitats for wildlife, and they help us adapt to a 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 with First Nations and the non-profit sector 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