More than 280M trees planted in 2024 in B.C., focus on fire-damaged areas

Ravi Parmar answers questions from the media in Langford, B.C., on Thursday, May 25, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito

British Columbia's forests ministry says more than 280 million trees were planted in the province this year.

It says 13 different native tree species were chosen in its effort to preserve ecosystems and prioritize characteristics including resilience to climate change.

The province says the reforestation efforts were focused on fire-damaged areas.

It says that work was in addition to the work undertaken by forest tenure holders as part of their legal requirements to regenerate harvested areas.

Forests Minister Ravi Parmar says in a news release that 2024 has been "a banner year" for tree planting.

He says the government's "commitment for sustainable forests" has made it a Canadian leader in planting and allowed for more than 2 billion trees to be seeded since 2017.

The ministry says B.C. Timber Sales, which is responsible for managing vast areas of forested public land, has also supported local jobs, having issued about 40 tree-planting contracts to small business operators in the province each year.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 23, 2024.