Major investment in urban forest
So far, Selkirk has started on its plan to bring 1,000 more trees to the city this year by planting 500 trees this spring, with the rest coming in the fall.
Though Selkirk has continuously added and replaced trees in previous years, these 1,000 trees represent a serious upgrade to local boulevards and an increase from previous years.
Since 2021, the City of Selkirk has planted approximately 1,000 trees on boulevards and park spaces throughout the city,” said Mihali Schindle, Selkirk’s Manager of Climate Action and Environmental Service in a recent release from the City of Selkirk.
“This year, the city is making strides in growing its urban canopy by doubling previous planting efforts and adding 1,000 new boulevard trees. This effort will further boost the city’s park and boulevard tree population by approximately 28 per cent.”
These trees would have cost the city approximately $1.6 million, which includes costs like watering and maintenance of the trees after planting. Luckily for taxpayers, grant funding is going to cover 94 per cent of that cost.
“Because of grant funding, we’re investing in infrastructure at just six cents on the dollar. Trees are infrastructure, and unlike pipes and pavement, they grow in value and function over time, delivering increasing benefits for generations,” said CAO Duane Nicol in the City release.
“Since 2019, Selkirk has widely been recognized for its leadership in climate change adaptation. The reality is that our climate is changing, and the infrastructure we build today must be designed for the decades ahead and the weather events to come. A key part of that work is our urban forestry program. Trees are not decoration — they are critical infrastructure. They manage stormwater, reduce heat, improve air quality, and extend the life of roads.”
To make sure that the trees are put in locations where they can provide the greatest environmental and community benefit. The city has identified planting locations using the Street Tree Policy planting criteria. This policy assigns a priority score to each street segment across the city, which considers factors like existing canopy coverage, stormwater system capacity, tree species diversity, road classification, current tree condition, and social equity.
The City of Selkirk sees these trees as a great benefit to the community. Trees keep the city cooler, mitigate climate change by capturing carbon, filter air pollutants, protect soil and waterways by reducing erosion and filtering stormwater runoff, provide essential habitat for birds, pollinators, and other wildlife, can have a positive financial benefit for municipalities and homeowners, and can even help to prevent pavement damage, meaning road maintenance won’t need to be done as often.
