Improving the path to plant two billion trees

By Natasha Bulowski
The National Observer
January 9, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada

One-fifth of tree-planting projects funded by the federal government’s two billion trees program are Indigenous-led, and there will soon be more thanks to a new funding stream specifically for Indigenous project proposals. The two billion trees program was launched in 2021 and quickly saw “a high level of interest” from Indigenous proponents, mainly First Nations, according to Natural Resources Canada briefing materials obtained by Canada’s National Observer through a federal access-to-information-request. …The Liberal government’s pledge to plant two billion trees by the end of 2030 was one of the party’s prominent campaign promises in 2021.  …Natural Resources Canada said it is on track to plant two billion trees by 2031 and is exceeding its planting goals, with 28.9 million planted in 2021 — 95 per cent of its goal for the first year. …A 2023 audit by Canada’s Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development found the two billion tree pledge is unlikely to be met “unless significant changes are made.”

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