Tree planting season is underway in the Cariboo, Omineca and West Coast with 93 million seedlings earmarked for those regions.
Breaking the numbers down by district, the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Resource Operations and Rural Development confirmed 21 million seedlings are destined for the 100 Mile House, 33 million for Williams Lake, 16 million for Quesnel, 30 million for Stuart Nechako — Vanderhoof and Fort St. James and three million for North Island with includes Bella Coola.
The aim of planting areas previously harvested, impacted by recent wildfire or beetle disturbances is for landscape recovery, climate change mitigation, wildlife and hydrologic recovery, carbon sequestration or carbon dioxide removal, road rehabilitation, maintaining future forests and jobs, a ministry spokesperson noted.
Only native, ecologically suitable and adapted species are planted in B.C. using registered seed, the ministry confirmed.
“In the Central Interior the major species are lodgepole pine, western red cedar, Douglas-fir, spruce, sub alpine fir and western larch. Smaller amounts of deciduous species, such as Aspen, may also be used.”
In 2020, close to 6,000 tree planters safely and successfully planted more than 300 million seedlings throughout the province with not a single case of COVID-19.
By following all of the public health office orders and operating guidelines, silviculture operators and tree planters demonstrated this work can and will be done safely during the global pandemic.
Another 300 million trees are slated for planting in 2021 across the province.
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