Chestermere is welcoming 100 trees to the canal, in order to make the area green, lush, and a destination point for residents.
Since 2016, Chestermere has worked directly with Tree Canada, a tree planting charity, said Chestermere’s Lead Hand of the Parks Department Alison Ciupa.
“Tree Canada’s mandate is to ensure they are providing trees to communities who might otherwise not be able to afford to plant them, or who need assistance,” Ciupa said.
On Sept. 19 100 trees will be planted by Tree Canada, and a team of volunteers from CNA Canada Calgary Branch.
To accommodate 100 new trees the city will be measuring plant beds, removing the first layer of grass, digging holes, and adding lakeweed compost to the site, which will take multiple days.
“The better you prep the site the more successful the trees will be,” Ciupa said.
“We hope for a good survival rate. We do assume that some of the trees will die, as things grow we might have to do a selective removal to make all the trees fit.”
Ciupa added, if a selective removal does occur the trees could potentially be taken to a more suitable location depending on the size of the plant.
Ciupa said she believes planting with Tree Canada is well worth the hard work, and the time it takes the city to prepare, as the trees from previous years have done well and are thriving.
For over 25 years Tree Canada has donated 84 million trees said Community Advisor of Tree Canada for over a decade Gerard Fournier.
“We select trees that are going to thrive in the area we plant them. We’ve always had a strong infinity of planting native trees, so they don’t just survive they actually thrive,” Fournier said.
He added, the species of trees that will be planted in Chestermere include willow, poplar, oak, spruce, and pine.
Increasing the number of trees in a community helps to improve air quality by absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen Fournier said.
“There is way too much carbon dioxide in the air, on our planet, due to human activity in the last 150 years.
“We’ve produced way too much carbon and that’s what is changing our planet, and not for the better it’s changing our planet for the worse,” Fournier added, “It’s causing warming, and strange anomalies that we’re getting in the Calgary area.”
Trees not only combat climate changes, Fournier added, but they also have local benefits.
By providing shade, which cools the earth, providing shelter, preventing erosion, and by absorbing and intercepting harmful minerals which cause allege blooms on the lake.
“Trees roots helps to purify the water. There’s a whole bunch of services that trees provide to us, wherever they are planted,” Fournier added, “In our climate in southern Alberta trees require a little bit of care from us before they start returning the services they provide.
“People feel better around trees, there’s a psychological lift walking through a place that has trees. People naturally feel better around trees,” he said.
“We’re absolutely delighted to help Chestermere, they do such a great job for us in preparing the planting sites and in the ongoing maintenance of the trees for the first couple of years.
“Chestermere does a great job watering and looking after our trees and helping us out with these tree planting events,” Fourier added, “Hats off to Chestermere.”
