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Feds’ tree-planting program faces hurdles, with many questions left unanswered, say experts
By Aidan Chamandy December 9, 2020
'Just planting the trees isn’t enough, they have to be looked after, particularly in urban situations,' says UBC professor John Innes. 'A lot of the effectiveness of this program will be dependent on the aftercare.'
Environment and Climate Change Minister Jonathan Wilkinson, along with Prime Minster Justin Trudeau and now Infrastructure Minister Catherine McKenna, is pictured announcing the government’s plan to reach carbon net-zero by 2050 at Ottawa's Ornamental Gardens on Nov. 19. A 2019 study led by Thomas Crowther in Zurich claimed that an additional 500-billion trees could remove two-thirds of all carbon produced since the industrial revolution. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade
The government’s recent fall economic statement provided the first official costing of its pledge to plant two billion trees by 2030, pegged at $3.2-billion, a promise experts warn will face big ecological and logistical hurdles given the short timeframe.
Aidan ChamandyAidan Chamandy is a reporter covering federal policy and parties for The Hill Times.
Follow - achamandy@hilltimes.com
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