Government of Canada and Manitoba Collaborate to Plant 1 Million Trees Annually

From: Natural Resources Canada

News release

July 5, 2023                                                               Winnipeg, Manitoba                                          Natural Resources Canada         

Planting two billion trees benefits all Canadians. Diverse forests have many benefits: they capture the carbon in growing trees to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help in the fight against climate change; they enhance forest resilience to climate change by planting the right tree species in the right places and restoring wildlife habitat; and they support human well-being by creating more green spaces for recreational activities and spaces for connecting with nature, better regulation of temperature in cities and reduced risk of wildland fire and floods.

Today, Terry Duguid, Member of Parliament for Winnipeg South and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, on behalf of the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Natural Resources; the Honourable Greg Nesbitt, Manitoba’s Minister of Natural Resources and Northern Development; and the Honourable Kevin Klein, Manitoba’s Minister of Environment and Climate, announced Manitoba’s multi-year tree-planting agreement, which benefits from a federal contribution of $8.85 million under the 2 Billion Trees (2BT) program. Additionally, the Government of Manitoba is contributing $8.85 million to this initiative.

Under this nine-year agreement, Manitoba will plant up to 1 million additional trees annually. Seedlings will be planted on forest lands that have been affected by wildfires and other natural disturbance events, and large saplings will be planted annually in rural, urban and Indigenous communities. These trees will reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Manitoba by an estimated 52,473 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide by 2050, the equivalent to taking 16,076 vehicles off the road.

The Indigenous projects are intended to facilitate Indigenous participation on reforestation initiatives through capacity building, planning and site selection, seed collecting, preparation and monitoring. Earlier this spring, the 2BT program supported a planting project in Norway House Cree Nation, providing employment and skills training for 19 community members to establish new forest. Manitoba provided 50,000 conifer seedlings, funding to pay the planters and in-kind training for the project.

In 2023, Manitoba will focus on identifying more planting sites and partners as well as prepare areas for planting. In 2024, large-scale planting will begin. Since 2018, Manitoba has planted 8.6 million trees, an average of 1.7 million per year.

The Government of Canada’s 2 Billion Trees program is helping to clean the air, keep neighbourhoods cool in the summer, create jobs and fight climate change while protecting nature. By working together with provinces, territories, local communities and Indigenous Peoples, Canada continues to build a strong, healthy future for generations to come.

Quotes

“Trees are essential to our lives — they capture carbon, improve air quality and support wildlife — and they are important allies in our fight against climate change. That’s why Canada has committed to planting two billion trees. Through this investment to plant over 1 million trees annually across Manitoba, we are showing how collaborative work between the federal government and our provincial partners can ensure that the right tree is planted at the right place at the right time.”

The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson
Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources 

“Manitobans are proud of our provincial forests and our urban canopies. Our trees capture and store carbon pollution while providing us with an abundance of clean air and habitat space for wildlife. This investment to plant one million trees annually in Manitoba will fight climate change while strengthening our province’s precious green spaces for generations to come.”

Terry Duguid
Member of Parliament for Winnipeg South and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change

“The Manitoba government recognizes the benefits trees and forests provide all of us. Through this joint initiative, millions of additional trees will be planted in our forests and communities in the coming years. These trees will help fight climate change, create new healthy forest ecosystems, clean our air, beautify our communities and create more green jobs throughout the province.”

The Honourable Greg Nesbitt
Manitoba’s Minister of Natural Resources and Northern Development

“Manitoba’s provincial forests along with our urban tree canopies, including here in Winnipeg, are critical to combating climate change. Our government is proud to partner with the Government of Canada on the 2 Billion Trees initiative. By planting trees, we are helping restore nature, enhancing precious forest ecosystems and cleaning our air.”

The Honourable Kevin Klein
Manitoba’s Minister of Environment and Climate

“Norway House Cree Nation was pleased to take part in the planting of 50,000 trees this spring as part of Canada’s 2 Billion Trees initiative and the settlement with the Province of Manitoba. A total of 19 community members were involved in our first tree planting project with 17 devoted planters who worked in extremely hot conditions. We were proud of their accomplishments and the quality of their planting. Staff within the Natural Resources Ministry were exceptional in training and working with Norway House personnel. We would like to acknowledge the work of Minister Greg Nesbitt in moving this project forward.

The leadership and all Norway House Cree Nation membership look forward to continuing and even expanding our work with Canada and Manitoba in future years to continue to reforest areas that have been previously cut to make a positive difference to our world and future generations.”

Chief Larson Anderson
Norway House Cree Nation

Quick facts

  • Last year, the Government of Canada and the Government of Manitoba signed an Agreement in Principle (AiP) under the Provinces and Territories stream of the 2BT program. Under this agreement, Canada and Manitoba are leveraging their shared commitment to delivering social, economic and environmental benefits for communities through tree planting. 

  • AiPs outline federal, provincial and territorial collaboration on planting two billion trees by defining the objectives of each tree-planting project as biodiversity enhancement, habitat restoration, carbon sequestration, permanency of forest cover and several monitoring activities post-planting. They are further supported by the signing of contribution agreements. Work on finalizing additional agreements with provinces and territories to plant more trees across Canada is well underway. 

Associated links

Contacts

Natural Resources Canada
Media Relations
343-292-6100
media@nrcan-rncan.gc.ca

Keean Nembhard
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Natural Resources
613-323-7892
keean.nembhard@NRCan-RNCan.gc.ca

Mathew Preprost
Press Secretary
Natural Resources and Northern Development
Government of Manitoba
431-338-7210
mathew.preprost@manitoba.ca

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