This spring, the East Interlake Watershed District (EIWD) will be receiving more than 16,000 seedlings to be planted in the Interlake.
Through the federal government’s 2 Billion Trees program, EIWD will be able to distribute the 16,000 seedlings to landowners, producers, and communities that applied to be part of the watershed district’s tree planting program.
EIWD’s tree planting program is in partnership with the provincial and federal governments. The program aims to provide landowners and municipalities within the watershed boundaries with multiple tree-planting opportunities. Individuals or groups can also apply to EIWD for assistance with plan design, seedlings, mulch, planting equipment, or funding support to plant trees. Tree planting projects the watershed district supports are traditional shelterbelts, eco-buffer shelterbelts (also known as native, diverse, or dense, shelterbelts), reforestation, agroforestry, riparian enhancement/shoreline protection, and urban tree planting projects, in areas like parks, boulevards, and public spaces. Currently, their tree planting programs are supported by the Government of Manitoba’s “Growing Outcomes in Watersheds” program, the Manitoba Resilient Agricultural Landscape Program, and the Federal Government’s 2 Billion Trees program.
Zoe Bailey, EIWD project coordinator, said most of the 16,000 seedlings coming this May will be planted into eco-buffer shelterbelts on agricultural land with assistance from EIWD staff. This spring’s plantings are focused between Stonewall and Arborg, but Bailey said anyone within the watershed’s boundaries is welcome and encouraged to apply. All program participants’ planting sites will be monitored by an EIWD staff member for five years, and the trees are expected to stay in place indefinitely.
EIWD is also working with the 2 Billion Trees program to provide municipalities within the boundaries with trees for public property plantings in boulevards, parks, and other public spaces.
“Municipalities will be responsible to tend these trees for three years and maintain them until maturity,” said Bailey.
Participating in the program is easy. Successful applicants will receive seedlings or funding for them, mulch, and use of the tree planter in exchange for preparing the land, planting the seedlings, and watering and weeding the plants until establishment. Successful applicants are determined based on the ecological goods the service will provide, eligibility, available funding, how the project aligns with the Integrated Watershed Management Plan goals, and board approval.
“Planting trees is essential to creating a sustainable and resilient future,” said Bailey. “Trees play a crucial role in climate change mitigation by sequestering carbon, regulating local temperatures, and creating microclimates. Treed areas reduce runoff after rain events and spring runoff, which reduces flooding and also increases groundwater recharge. Additionally, trees reduce erosion, stabilize soils, and provide important wildlife and pollinator habitat.”
Bailey said it’s never too late to apply for EIWD’s tree planting program, as applications are always open. Currently, the watershed district is planning for fall planting projects, so applications received now would be for the 2025 spring plant. Continuous support of programs like this one allows EIWD to continue supporting local landowners, producers, and municipalities in all their work.
“Planting trees increases biodiversity, which improves overall ecological function,” said Bailey. “Outside of the environmental benefits of planting trees, there has also been a lot of research done around the importance of trees for human health and well-being. It is critical that we keep planting trees for the next generation.”
