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Canada and Edmonton governments team up to plant 1.5M trees

The Government of Canada and Edmonton’s Mayor Amarjeet Sohi have announced a $47.8-million joint investment to plant 1.5 million trees in Edmonton as part of Canada’s 2 Billion Trees program. This funding is matched by $47.8 million in municipal funding. The municipal investment is part of the City of Edmonton’s $66-million new Greener As We Grow tree-planting project.

“Trees are an important part of how people experience life in Edmonton. Trees help clean our air, shade our streets and shape some of our most beloved public spaces. Expanding Edmonton’s tree canopy is a way to help us maintain welcoming and livable communities as we grow to be a city of over two million people. This grant will allow us to expand our planting efforts over the next eight years and bring us closer to our goals of being a healthy and climate-resilient city,” Mayor Sohi said. 

Over the next eight years, Edmonton will increase its urban forest canopy by planting approximately 300 hectares in naturalized areas, boulevards, parks and open spaces. The city has a target of having two million trees planted by 2031 as part of its Urban Forest Asset Management goal of achieving 20-percent canopy cover by 2071.

The City of Edmonton will also work with Indigenous leaders, Elders and Knowledge Keepers to ensure the planting of local species is both reflective and supportive of the traditions and cultural practices of local Indigenous peoples and those with historic and cultural connections to the territory.

The 2 Billion Trees program will not only help clean the air and keep neighbourhoods cool in the summer but also create jobs and fight climate change while protecting nature, habitats and biodiversity. By working together with provinces, territories, local communities and Indigenous Peoples, we are building a prosperous, sustainable, and healthy future — for the environment and future generations.