Article content

B.C. officials are celebrating the planting of 10 billion seedlings since reforestation efforts began nearly a century ago.

A statement from the Forests Ministry says two billion of those seedlings have been planted in the last seven years.

Article content

It says the 10-billionth seedling was among 305 million that were planted throughout the province last year, and Forests Minister Bruce Ralston planted a ceremonial tree in Surrey’s Green Timbers Urban Forest Park to mark the milestone on Monday.

Article content

Ralston says in a statement that it’s easy to get lost in the large number, but there’s a human story behind the effort.

He says 10 billion seedlings means 10 billion pairs of hands and shovels turning over the earth since the work began in 1930.

Forest tenure holders are required to undertake reforestation efforts, and B.C. is set to plant an additional 50 million trees this year with a focus on areas damaged by natural disturbances, such as wildfires and mountain pine beetle infestations.

The statement says B.C. is continuing to work on improving practices to “boost the success of every seedling and help make sure B.C.’s forests are resilient in a changing climate.”


Bookmark our website and support our journalism: Don’t miss the news you need to know — add VancouverSun.com and TheProvince.com to your bookmarks and sign up for our newsletters here.

You can also support our journalism by becoming a digital subscriber: For just $14 a month, you can get unlimited access to The Vancouver Sun, The Province, National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites. Support us by subscribing today: The Vancouver Sun | The Province.

Share this article in your social network



Source link vancouversun.com