Campbell River just got a little greener thanks to $5,000 in grant funding from Tree Canada.
The not-for-profit, charitable organization helped to plant 20 new ornamental pear trees at the Campbell River Cemetery on Highway 19. Over at city hall, a dozen new trees of various varieties were planted along 9th Avenue.
Planting took place earlier this month, following September’s National Tree Day. The city’s arboriculture technician, Alex Walton, says fall is a great time to plant trees locally.
“The winter rain in Campbell River helps trees set up their roots, which is a boost on their first in-ground growing season,” he says.
Trees have a key role in supporting biodiversity, Walton says, and they’ll also help provide cleaner air and wildlife habitat.
The new trees are among more than 130 planted by Campbell River parks crews this year, with funding coming from the Tree Canada grant, the street tree reserve fund and the park’s operations budget.
Aside from city hall and the cemetery, newly planted trees can be found in parks, near detention ponds and on reclamation sites around town.
“The tree species planted this year are diverse and represent a wide range of the types of trees that can thrive in our community,” Walton adds. “With the exception of one tree Galaxy Magnolia that blooms pink, the collection of trees planted at city hall all have white blossoms at some point of the year. Something to look forward to in 2021.”
