Residents urged to get planting trees

By Alejandra Pulido-Guzman - Lethbridge Herald on August 3, 2023.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDapulido@lethbridgeherald.com

The City of Lethbridge is encouraging residents to plant as many trees as possible in their yard to help them reach their goal of planting 1,000 trees in 2023.
The City recently announced its 1,000 trees in 2023 initiative to increase Lethbridge’s tree canopy and to inspire and empower residents to plant and care for trees on their private property, contributing to a thriving, climate-resilient urban forest for future generations.
“Planting a tree is more than a gardening activity; it’s a legacy project,” said Paige Rosner, environmental education and community projects lead at Helen Schuler Nature Centre in a release.
She added that a tree planted today will make its greatest impact 30 to 50 years from now, providing shade, beauty, and ecological benefits to future generations.
The release states that most of the city’s trees are planted on private property, and many large ones were planted decades ago. 
The City’s initiative provides residents with the information and resources needed to successfully plant a tree, and in order to encourage and help residents select the proper trees for their yard a Lethbridge Tree Guide has been developed.
The initiative also includes a tree registry where residents can record details about their trees to help increase understanding of the types of trees located on private property. 
The guide and registry can be found at https://nature.lethbridge.ca/programs-and-events/details/1000-trees.
“Our vision for a healthy urban forest includes a diversity of tree species and age groups,” said Anna Larney, urban forestry technician with the City of Lethbridge in the release.
The release states that since Lethbridge is in the grassland region, it is important to consider tree selection carefully.
The City states that a community with trees is more livable. Trees contribute to quality of life offering shade and shelter from the wind. Furthermore, they improve people’s health by reducing stress, enhancing mood, and boosting their immune systems. 
They also state that trees are not only aesthetically pleasing but offer an array of benefits such as reducing energy costs for heating and cooling buildings, cleaning the air by removing pollutants, and mitigating the severity and frequency of flooding events by holding, filtering, and slowly releasing water.
Late last month while celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Blue Sky Lodge a tree was planted and Mayor Blaine Hyggen mentioned the 1,000 trees in 2023 initiative and said jokingly “now we only have 999 more trees to go.”

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