Tree planting projects across Sask. announced as part of nature strategy

Canada's Secretary of State on Nature highlighted $24.5 million in Saskatchewan tree-planting and habitat restoration projects.

As part of a new nature strategy, Saskatchewan will see eight tree-planting projects, with the goal of planting over five million trees.

Announced on Tuesday by Canada’s Secretary of State for Nature Nathalie Provost, the tree-planting initiative represents a $24.5 million investment to help protect nature and biodiversity by restoring habitats. The initiative also aims to advance Indigenous-led restoration efforts.

Saskatchewan’s projects are part of A Force of Nature: Canada’s Strategy to Protect Nature, a $3.8 billion strategy that was announced in March of this year.

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The national strategy is based on three “pillars for action to harmonize nature protection and economic growth,” which include protecting nature in Canada, building Canada well, and valuing nature and mobilizing capital.

The strategy comes as the federal government works towards the goal of protecting 30 per cent of lands, waters, and oceans in Canada by 2030.

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“To realize our ambitions, we will use all available economic levers to accelerate progress and reach our target,” Provost said in the announcement.

The strategy will help to capture and store carbon from the atmosphere, improve water and air quality, restore nature and biodiversity, cool urban centres, and create thousands of green jobs. It also seeks to expand Canada’s parks network.

“Canada’s strength has always been rooted in our connection to nature. From coast to coast to coast, nature is not just part of our landscape, it’s part of who we are as Canadians,” said Julie Dabrusin, minister of the Environment, Climate Change and Nature in the announcement.