More than 280 million trees were planted in B.C. forests in 2024, the Ministry of Forests recently reported.

Caring for B.C.’s forests has come a long way since reforestation programs began in 1930. Meticulous planning goes into selecting which types of trees are seeded and encouraged to grow on public lands.

This year, 13 different native tree species were chosen in an effort to preserve natural ecosystems and prioritize key characteristics, such as resilience to climate change, the ministry said.

The province’s 2024 reforestation efforts were primarily focused on fire-damaged areas. This was in addition to the work undertaken by forest tenure holders as part of their legal requirements to regenerate harvested areas.

“2024 was a banner year for tree planting in B.C., including celebrating 10 billion trees planted since 1930,” said Minister of Forests Ravi Parmar.

“We are in good shape right now based upon a run of strong years and the government’s commitment to tackling the impacts of climate change through adaptation and keeping reforestation programs at a level to help regrow our forests,” said John Betts, executive director, Western Forestry Contractors’ Association. “Our members have been adapting to the concept of a restoration economy targeting ecosystem resilience through all kinds of different planting programs.”

B.C. Timber Sales (BCTS), a division of Ministry of Forests responsible for managing vast areas of forested public land, also marked a milestone this year.

More than one billion trees have been planted since the organization was founded in 2003. BCTS supports local jobs and communities by issuing approximately 40 tree-planting contracts to small business operators throughout the province every year.

e-KNOW file photos

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