The City of Edmonton said its planting season has concluded for 2024, with a new record of 342,157 trees and shrubs planted through city programs. This surpasses the previous record of more than 230,000 trees and shrubs planted in 2023.“We continue to make great strides in growing our urban tree canopy and reaching the City Plan’s goal of planting two million trees by 2030,” said City of Edmonton Director of Infrastructure Operations Mark Beare in a press release.“Whether through the naturalization of new areas or replacement of trees in our inventory, these efforts all contribute to a climate-resilient future, enhancing air quality, biodiversity and quality of life.” The City of Edmonton revealed the Naturalization Program planted 218,547 trees and 116,432 shrubs. Additionally, it said the Boulevard and Open Space Tree Renewal Program planted 3,195 trees. The Boulevard and Open Space Backlog Replacement Program planted 3,000 trees. While other programs planted more trees, the Boulevard and Open Space Growth Tree Planting Program had 905 trees. In addition to those programs, the Boulevard and Open Space Community-Driven Planting Program had 78 trees. It noted much of its plantings were accomplished through the Naturalization Program, which includes the Root for Trees volunteer tree planting program. City of Edmonton Naturalization Team Lead Kortney Tompkins said it appreciates the work of volunteers who have helped to plant more trees in the city. “To date, 4,795 Root for Trees volunteers have participated in the program,” said Tompkins.“In 2024, volunteers planted 42,342 trees and shrubs at 212 locations.”Also, it said its naturalization efforts continued with plantings at 45 locations this year compared to 22 last year. It added ongoing public engagement is helping inform naturalization planting at 120 potential locations in 2025.This year, the City of Edmonton replaced the 1994 Naturalization Master Plan with A Greener Edmonton: A Vision for Restorative Activities on Our Urban Landscape. Aligning with international best practices, the Breathe: Green Network Strategy, and other climate and ecological goals, this new plan updates its approach to recovering natural ecosystems, including urban naturalization, restoration, and reclamation. The City of Edmonton concluded by saying it continues working towards planting more than two million trees and shrubs by 2030 as part of its goal of achieving 20% canopy cover by 2071. To achieve this goal, it received $48 million in funding from the Canadian government’s Two Billion Trees program and approved capital budget funding of about $66 million.Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi announced in 2023 the Canadian government would be giving the City of Edmonton $47.8 million in federal funding for the Two Billion Trees program..Sohi announces joint investment to plant 1.5 million trees in Edmonton.The City of Edmonton said this funding will support the planting of 1.5 million trees in the city and is matched by $47.8 million in municipal funding. This spending is part of its Greener As We Grow tree planting project.“Trees are an important part of how people experience life in Edmonton,” said Sohi.
