Newly appointed Environment Minister John Baird has pledged $2 million toward the restoration of Vancouver's storm-battered Stanley Park.

"We think the future of this park is very important to the people of Vancouver but it's a national treasure and we want to see the park cleaned up," Baird said at Prospect Point, the highest lookout in the park that heavily damaged by a series of winter storms.

He also said that the financial pledge "is a real signal that our government places a real high priority on the environment."

About a month ago, fierce winds toppled up to 3,000 trees in the famous landmark, and also damaged the park's 8.8-kilometre Seawall, which still remains closed.

Baird and Natural Resources Minister Gary Lunn handed a symbolic cheque to the city's mayor Sam Sullivan, just days after the pair visited the park to witness its devastation.

"From a request to an answer, it doesn't get any faster than this," said Baird.

On a provincial level, the park could also receive up to $4 million from the LocalMotion fund.

B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell said the money could be donated to the park over four years, but that Vancouver would have to match the money.

The fund offers grants to local communities on a cost-sharing basis, for projects that increase physical fitness for residents, improve safety and reduce air pollutants.

Stanley Park measures about 400 hectares and first opened to the public on Oct. 29, 1889.

As many as 3,000 towering trees -- including western red cedar and Douglas fir -- were uprooted after two wild wind storms.

The downed and split trees forced the park's closure for several days for the first time in its history.

A second storm earlier this month brought down more trees, keeping parts of the popular nine-kilometre seawall closed to the public.

"We know that nature is a very powerful force that's demonstrated very clearly here,'' B.C. Environment Minister Barry Penner said of the damage to the federally owned park.

Park board chairman Ian Robertson said he's been inundated by public donations to restore the park.

"With this money we are very hopeful for the future of Stanley Park, that it will be able to be enjoyed by many, many, many future generations.''

Sullivan said it was his top priority to get the federal and provincial governments and citizens involved in the project that so far has elicited over $2 million in donations -- even from Canadians outside the province.

He added it's too early to speculate if he would turn to the federal government if the cleanup bill were to surpass $4 million.

The park board is expected to release a damage estimate on the devastation and the cost to clean it up in April.

The environment promises to be a key issue in the next election, nowhere more so than in areas like Vancouver where the Conservatives secured few votes, some political analysts say.

"The amount of energy that's been devoted to our beloved trees in Stanley Park is almost moving in terms of the kind of commitment to it and I think (Prime Minister Stephen) Harper maybe sees that he's on a winning side here if he can jump into that exercise," said Simon Fraser University political science professor Patrick Smith.

"The difficult for him -- it seems to me -- in terms of selling this thing is that he is a Johnny-come-lately, I mean, John Baird is a Johnny-come-lately as well. This has not been their issue and they are going to have a hard time reclaiming the crown," Smith told CTV.

With a report from CTV British Columbia's Dave Lefebvre