The City of Regina has now been recognized as a Tree City of the World by the United Nations for the fifth year in a row.To celebrate this milestone and acknowledge Arbor Day, residents are encouraged to attend a tree seedling giveaway in Victoria Park.On Wednesday, 1,000 trees will be given away in Victoria Park between 9 a.m. and noon, while supplies last. The selection of trees includes Cherry, Currant, and Saskatoon Berry. Quantities will vary and seedlings will be limited to one per person, given away on a first-come first-serve basis.In a press release, the city said tree giveaway events over the last three years "were an overwhelming success." Residents are encouraged to watch for an additional giveaway in September for National Tree Day.The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and Arbor Foundation recognizes Tree Cities of the World, which meet core standards on the care and planning of urban trees and forests. The program's vision is to connect cities worldwide to a network dedicated to sharing and adopting the most successful approaches to managing city trees and forests.Regina was one of the original 68 Tree Cities of the World when the program began. The program has expanded to 1,200 cities including 22 communities recognized in Canada.Regina has more than 500,000 city and privately owned hand-planted trees that help with flooding, natural cooling, and remove the CO2 equivalent of 3,330 mid-sized vehicles from the atmosphere each year. The urban forest supports the City's goal of becoming 100% renewable by 2050.The Regina.ca/trees website recommends tree species such as plum, cherry, Ohio buckeye, maple, and spruce.The UN Tree Cities of the World website include the following ten from Canada, with their respective human population.Edmonton, AB 980,000Guelph, ON 132,000Halifax, NS 431,479Mississauga, ON 777,000Regina, SK 230,000St. Albert, AB 66,000Surrey, BC 518,467Thunder Bay, ON 109,000Toronto, ON 2,956,024Whitby, ON 136,000In order for the UN to designate a tree city, that city must have five standards, including budgetary spending, an annual count of its trees, and "an annual celebration of trees to raise awareness among residents and to acknowledge citizens and staff members who carry out the city tree programme."The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the Arbor Day Foundation developed the Tree City program to collaborate with like-minded organisations and provide support to community leaders. The UN considers Tree Canada, which has headquarters in Ottawa, to be the national program leader.
