Investing in Canada’s Plan to Plant Two Billion Trees

There is no path to net-zero emissions that does not involve Canada’s forests. Planting trees is a natural climate solution that removes and stores carbon from the atmosphere while providing other benefits such as better air and water quality, particularly in urban settings and decreases risk of wildland fire to rural communities; and supports biodiversity. It also provides spaces for recreational opportunities that improve our wellbeing and our connection to nature.

Today, Adam van Koeverden, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Diversity and Inclusion and Youth and to the Minister of Canadian Heritage (Sport) and Member of Parliament for Milton, announced $190,403 to Conservation Halton in support of the Government of Canada’s plan to plant two billion trees over 10 years. Conservation Halton will plant 50,000 trees at 36 sites across the region. This project will support planned restoration projects in ecosystems such as wetlands, creeks, former farmland, and forested areas and will provide increased regional biodiversity, resilient communities, and the creation of green jobs.

The Two Billion Trees program continues the Government of Canada’s existing efforts to advance tree planting as an important part of the solution to climate change. Canada’s plan to plant two billion trees is projected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 12 megatonnes annually by 2050. It will create up to 4,300 green jobs.

With the help of dedicated organizations across the country, we look forward to growing our healthy, diverse and sustainably managed forests, leaving behind a legacy for future generations.

Natural Resources Canada is implementing this plan with support from Environment and Climate Change Canada and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. The Two Billion Trees program represents a 40-percent increase in the number of trees we typically plant over a decade and will see trees planted in both urban and rural areas across the country.  In 10 years, the new trees will cover the equivalent of over 1.1 million hectares, an area twice the size of Prince Edward Island. 

Quotes

“Planting trees is essential for a growing community like Milton. Healthy tree coverage and a vibrant urban canopy are essential for our air quality, our health, our shade and our regional biodiversity! I am absolutely thrilled that, as part of our 2 Billion Trees program, 50,000 trees will be planted right here in our region in partnership with Conservation Halton — that’s a new tree for every family in Milton! This news brings with it a more resilient community, green jobs, environmental protection and long-lasting benefits for the people of Halton Region, now and in the future.”

Adam van Koeverden
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Diversity and Inclusion and Youth & to the Minister of Canadian Heritage (Sport)
Member of Parliament for Milton

“Planting two billion trees is more than a plan for climate action. It’s a plan for creating thousands of good, green jobs. We’re rolling out tree-planting projects right across the country. Planting trees gets us to net-zero.”

The Honourable Seamus O’Regan Jr.
Minister of Natural Resources

Quick facts

• The Government of Canada has committed up to $3.2 billion over 10 years, starting in 2021–22, to deliver on this commitment. 
• This is part of a broader Government of Canada approach to embrace the power of nature, recently announced as part of Canada’s strengthened climate plan, A Healthy Environment and a Healthy Economy.
• The government has established an advisory committee of experts on nature-based climate solutions to advise on program delivery to maximize emission reductions and deliver on key biodiversity and human well-being co-benefits to improve the quality of life for Canadians.